On April 16, the Sichuan Survey Team of the National Bureau of Statistics held a press conference to release first-quarter 2026 data on people's livelihoods in Sichuan. Data presented at the conference indicated that the province's people's livelihood economy started the year robustly, achieving a favorable opening quarter. Among the key figures, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed a moderate increase. In the first quarter, Sichuan's CPI rose by 0.6% compared to the same period last year, marking the highest level for the period in nearly three years.
The livestock sector remained generally stable. In the first quarter, the output of pork, beef, mutton, and poultry in Sichuan increased by 6.0% year-on-year. Specifically, pork output grew by 7.4%, and poultry output increased by 2.8%, while beef and mutton output both declined by 0.2%. The number of live hogs slaughtered reached 16.538 million head, a 4.6% increase year-on-year. The inventory of live hogs at the end of the quarter stood at 38.041 million head, up 2.9%.
Resident incomes and consumption maintained steady growth. In the first quarter, the per capita disposable income of Sichuan residents reached 10,536 yuan, a nominal increase of 5.1% year-on-year. After adjusting for price factors, the real growth was 4.5%. By income source, per capita wage income, net business income, net property income, and net transfer income saw nominal increases of 4.8%, 6.4%, 4.7%, and 4.8%, respectively. Disaggregated by residence, the per capita disposable income of urban residents was 14,045 yuan, a nominal increase of 4.3% year-on-year, with real growth of 3.5%. For rural residents, per capita disposable income was 7,033 yuan, a nominal increase of 6.2% year-on-year, with real growth of 6.0%. The ratio of per capita disposable income between urban and rural residents decreased from 2.03 in the previous year to 2.00, indicating a continued narrowing of the income gap.
In the first quarter, the per capita consumption expenditure of Sichuan residents was 6,631 yuan, a nominal increase of 4.4% year-on-year. After adjusting for price factors, real growth was 3.8%. By residence, per capita consumption expenditure for urban residents was 8,320 yuan, a nominal increase of 4.0% year-on-year, with real growth of 3.2%. For rural residents, per capita consumption expenditure was 4,945 yuan, a nominal increase of 4.7% year-on-year, with real growth of 4.5%.
Consumer prices rose moderately. In the first quarter, Sichuan's CPI increased by 0.6% year-on-year. By category, prices for food, tobacco, alcohol, and dining out decreased by 0.5% year-on-year. Clothing prices rose by 2.3%, while housing prices fell by 0.4%. Prices for household goods and services increased by 2.1%, and prices for transportation and communication decreased by 1.1%. Prices for education, culture, and entertainment rose by 1.5%, healthcare prices increased by 2.9%, and prices for other goods and services saw a significant increase of 11.4%. In March alone, Sichuan's CPI rose by 1.1% year-on-year but decreased by 0.5% month-on-month.
The decline in the Industrial Producer Price Index (PPI) narrowed. In the first quarter, Sichuan's PPI decreased by 0.7% year-on-year, with the rate of decline narrowing by 1.9 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of the previous year. In March, the PPI was flat year-on-year, following a 1.0% decline in February. On a monthly basis, the PPI increased by 1.0% in March. The purchasing price index for industrial producers in Sichuan increased by 3.4% year-on-year in the first quarter.
The employment situation remained generally stable. In the first quarter, the average surveyed urban unemployment rate in Sichuan was 5.4%, unchanged from the same period last year. In March, the surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.5%.
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