Jiangsu's economy has once again surpassed a trillion-yuan milestone. On January 28, the Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Statistics and the Jiangsu Survey Team of the National Bureau of Statistics announced that in 2025, Jiangsu's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached 14,235.15 billion yuan. Calculated at constant prices, this represents a year-on-year growth of 5.3%, surpassing the national average of 5%. Specifically, the value added of the primary industry was 536.97 billion yuan, up 3.5% year-on-year; the secondary industry reached 6,003.82 billion yuan, growing by 4.7%; and the tertiary industry hit 7,694.37 billion yuan, with an increase of 5.8%. Although breaking through the 14 trillion yuan threshold was widely anticipated, the official announcement still brought immense joy to the people of the province.
What is even more gratifying is that this "breakthrough" for Jiangsu's economy is not just about "scale" but represents a comprehensive enhancement of overall economic strength. Development confidence has significantly strengthened. Against the backdrop of a challenging economic environment, complex conditions, and increasing uncertainties, confidence is more crucial than ever. Where there is confidence, there is hope; strong confidence brings greater hope. Throughout 2025, the confidence in pursuing entrepreneurship and development across the province was markedly boosted. The government focused on service, enterprises on development, and residents on well-being, working together multi-prongedly and in unison to eliminate various factors undermining development confidence and mobilize all possible positive elements. The most notable example is the breakout success of the "Jiangsu Super League" (Su Chao).
Originally just an ordinary city football league, it evolved into a nationwide cultural-sports-tourism fusion spectacle, attracting coverage not only from national media but also from numerous international outlets. More importantly, participation in the "Su Chao" frenzy extended far beyond football fans to include people across the province and even the nation, subsequently boosting the popularity of similar city football leagues in other provinces like Hunan and Zhejiang. What "Su Chao" brought to Jiangsu was not only a full restoration of confidence but also its rapid transmission and the spark of collective optimism, significantly strengthening Jiangsu's self-assurance in economic development.
Industrial priorities have become more clearly defined. Through structural adjustments and economic transformation in recent years, particularly the phasing out of enterprises in heavy and chemical industries that no longer met development requirements, Jiangsu has finally "exchanged" these efforts for new developmental achievements today. Especially in manufacturing, the province has not only consolidated its status as a major and strong manufacturing base but also seen its industrial structure become increasingly "new," its priorities more distinct, and its distribution more rational. In 2025, the value-added of industries above designated size increased by 6.5% year-on-year, manufacturing grew by 6.7%, and equipment manufacturing value-added surged by 8.8%. Notably, the value-added of railway, ship, aerospace, and other transport equipment manufacturing soared by 15.8%, far exceeding the growth of general manufacturing.
In the latest list of global "Lighthouse Factories" released by the World Economic Forum, 16 Chinese companies were selected, with 5 hailing from Jiangsu. Significantly, 2 of these companies are from Yancheng, indicating a new pattern where both Southern and Northern Jiangsu are advancing and progressing together in manufacturing. The success of industrial restructuring and economic transformation has also led Jiangsu to a deeper realization: with courage and determination, contradictions and problems in economic development can be resolved through reform, adjustment, and optimization.
Innovation has become the strongest driving force. Since the start of the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Jiangsu's economic aggregate has continuously broken through trillion-yuan barriers, with innovation emerging as the most powerful engine behind these achievements. Data shows that in 2025, Jiangsu's intellectual property innovation indicators continued to lead the nation. The number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reached 34.2, which is 2.1 times the national average. Furthermore, Suzhou, Nanjing, and Zhenjiang were all listed among the World Intellectual Property Organization's global top 100 innovation clusters, the highest number from any Chinese region. Simultaneously, Jiangsu's level of intellectual property protection is also leading nationally.
In 2025, the output value of high-tech industries accounted for 52.1% of the total output value of industries above designated size in the province. The value-added of high-tech manufacturing above designated size increased by 11.9% year-on-year. Specifically, the manufacturing of optoelectronic devices and lithium-ion batteries saw value-added growth of 17.5% and 18.4%, respectively. Innovation has indeed become the strongest driving force behind Jiangsu's economy repeatedly achieving excellence and breaking trillion-yuan thresholds. It stands as one of the most brilliant highlights of Jiangsu's economy and the most promising aspect for its future development prospects.
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