Statistical data released on the 19th shows that China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 5% in 2025 compared to the previous year. Behind this hard-won "report card," key data in areas such as employment and income conveys the warmth of China's social security.
First, the employment situation was generally stable, with a steady surveyed urban unemployment rate. In 2025, China's average surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.2%, lower than the expected target of around 5.5%. The average unemployment rate in 31 major cities for the full year was 5.1%, unchanged from the previous year and 0.1 percentage points lower than the overall national urban level. The unemployment rate trend in large cities was stable, with the peak value dropping by 0.1 percentage points compared to the previous year, remaining within the range of 5.0% to 5.3% for the entire year. The unemployment rate for the core working-age population remained at a low level. In 2025, the average unemployment rate for the urban labor force aged 30-59 was 4.0%, 1.2 percentage points lower than the overall national urban level. This group accounts for nearly 80% of China's total urban workforce, making their stable employment a crucial foundation for the overall stable employment situation. Employment for migrant workers also remained steady; the average annual unemployment rate for the non-local agricultural-registered labor force in urban areas was 4.7%, dropping to 4.4% in November and December, the lowest level of the year, representing figures that were flat and down 0.1 percentage points, respectively, compared to the same period last year.
The overall stability of the job market is inseparable from effective policy guidance. Wang Pingping, Director of the Department of Population and Employment Statistics at the National Bureau of Statistics, explained that in 2025, China prioritized stabilizing and expanding positions in key industries and sectors with strong capacity to absorb employment, actively leveraging the role of industrial sectors in promoting jobs. The proportion of manufacturing employment in total national employment remained stable, while employment numbers increased year-on-year in service industries such as transportation, accommodation and catering, information transmission, culture and sports entertainment, and health and social work. The employment potential continued to be unleashed, playing a vital role in safeguarding people's livelihoods and promoting development.
Second, resident incomes kept pace with economic growth, and the relative income gap between urban and rural residents narrowed. In 2025, China's stable economic performance effectively stabilized residents' "money bags." Data shows that the national per capita disposable income reached 43,377 yuan in 2025, a real-year increase of 5.0%, advancing "side by side" with economic growth. Disaggregated by urban and rural areas, the nominal and real year-on-year growth rates of rural residents' income were 1.5 and 1.8 percentage points faster than those of urban residents, respectively. The urban-rural income ratio decreased from 2.34 in the previous year to 2.31 in 2025, indicating a narrowing of the relative income gap. "Stable growth in wage income, net operating income, and net transfer income were the main supporting factors for the increase in residents' income," said Zhang Yi, Director of the Department of Household Survey at the National Bureau of Statistics.
Zhang Yi elaborated that in 2025, supported by the continuous efforts of employment stabilization policies and a generally stable employment situation, the per capita wage income of urban and rural residents increased by 4.5% and 6.1% year-on-year, respectively. Furthermore, driven by favorable production and operating conditions in the service sector, business formats like agritainment and leisure agriculture continued to gain popularity. Coupled with increased policy-based subsidy support for residents across regions, income growth was further strongly bolstered.
Third, price operations remained stable, with favorable factors accumulating. In recent years, China's price levels have been generally low, but some positive signals have recently emerged: Starting in October 2025, as China's policies to expand domestic demand and promote consumption were intensified, consumer demand continued to recover. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) turned positive year-on-year and continued to rise, with the increase expanding to 0.8% in December, the highest level since March 2023. For the full year, China's CPI remained flat compared to the previous year, while the core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose by 0.7%, an increase 0.2 percentage points wider than the previous year. "The operation of the CPI has obvious structural characteristics; the decline in food and energy prices has a relatively large impact on the overall CPI," explained Kang Yi, Commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the 19th. He noted that climatic conditions in China were relatively favorable in 2025, hog production capacity was relatively ample, and food supply was generally sufficient.
Kang Yi emphasized that factors favorable to promoting a moderate rebound in the CPI are accumulating. As actions to boost consumption are effectively implemented, and particularly with the successive introduction of incremental measures such as the package of fiscal and financial policies to synergistically stimulate domestic demand, consumer demand is expected to gradually expand, providing a foundation for stable price operations.
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