China GDP Q1 2026 +5%

Data published by China’s National Bureau of Statistics shows that the China GDP in the first quarter of 2026 expanded by 5 per cent, compared with a year earlier, reaching USD 4.87 trillion.

Value-added industrial output expanded 6.1 percent year-on-year during the same period, while industrial output grew 0.3 per cent considering March 2026 alone.

Retail sales rose by 1.7 per cent in March compared to the previous year, down from February’s 2.8 per cent gain, which had been supported by seasonal holiday demand.

Industrial production performed grew 5.7 per cent year-on-year in March 2026, surpassing forecasts of 5.5 per cent. For the first quarter as a whole, industrial output climbed 6.1 per cent, exceeding the overall rise in retail sales, which reached 2.4 per cent.

Retail sales, a major indicator of the country's consumption performance, recorded a 1.7 per cent increase during March 2026, while they increased by 2.4 per cent year-on-year, with e-commerce sales advancing by 9.8 per cent.

Fixed-asset investment, which measures expenditure on infrastructure, property, machinery and equipment, went up 1.7 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter.

During the same period, exports rose by 14.7 per cent compared to a year earlier, representing the strongest growth since the beginning of 2022.