On April 1, the National Bureau of Statistics of China released the latest GDP rankings for the country’s various provinces and municipalities. The data showed consistent growth across major metropolises, but also revealed a significant geographic shift in the Chinese economy.
The data ranked Jiangsu and Zhejiang first and third, respectively, among Chinese provinces by GDP per capita, while Guangdong ranked fourth. Yet 20 years ago, Guangdong held an undisputed first place, with Zhejiang and Jiangsu a distant third and fourth. The shift is even more apparent at the city level. In 2005, nine cities from Guangdong appeared in the top 25 by GDP per capita, compared with five from Jiangsu and two from Zhejiang.
Twenty years later, only three Guangdong cities remain in that group, while Jiangsu and Zhejiang have grown to seven and four, respectively.
