Recently, many cities across the country released their 2024 “economic report cards,” with a total of 27 cities achieving a GDP of over 1 trillion yuan in the past year. Experts interviewed pointed out that the economic growth of “trillion-yuan GDP cities” in 2024 is driven by factors such as advantageous industries and innovation. Moving forward, while consolidating the development of existing industries, it is essential to continue strengthening innovation leadership and continuously enhance the city’s innovation capabilities and core competitiveness.
A new “trillion-yuan GDP city”
“Trillion-yuan GDP cities” are the core growth engines driving regional economic growth. According to data released by various regions, in 2024, a total of 27 cities across the country achieved a GDP of over 1 trillion yuan. These cities include Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Ningbo, Tianjin, Qingdao, Wuxi, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Fuzhou, Jinan, Hefei, Foshan, Xi’an, Quanzhou, Nantong, Dongguan, Changzhou, Yantai, and Tangshan. Notably, in 2024, Tangshan, Hebei, achieved a total GDP of 1,000.39 billion yuan, making it the first “trillion-yuan GDP city” in Hebei Province and the 27th nationwide.
In terms of specific regional distribution, the Yangtze River Delta region has the highest number of “trillion-yuan GDP cities,” with a total of 9 cities, including Shanghai, Suzhou, and Nanjing. The Pearl River Delta region has 4 cities: Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Foshan, and Dongguan.
Looking at the total economic output, in the 2024 list of “trillion-yuan GDP cities,” Shanghai ranks first, with a GDP of 5.392671 trillion yuan last year, growing by 5% year-on-year. Beijing follows closely, with a GDP of 4.98431 trillion yuan. Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Guangzhou are in the group of cities with a GDP exceeding 3 trillion yuan, while Suzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Wuhan are in the group with a GDP exceeding 2 trillion yuan.
What are the economic highlights of “trillion-yuan GDP cities”? Pan Helin, a member of the Expert Committee on Information and Communication Economy of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, analyzed for the reporter that these cities generally have well-developed industrial systems and large-scale industries, covering fields such as high-end manufacturing, modern services, and technological innovation, thus forming a diversified economic structure. "These cities emphasize innovation-driven development, possessing strong research capabilities and innovation capacity, which continuously drive industrial upgrading and transformation. At the same time, they benefit from advantageous geographical locations and transportation conditions, facilitating the aggregation and circulation of resources, thereby promoting rapid economic growth,” Pan Helin said.
Six cities achieved economic growth above 6% last year
In terms of economic growth, in 2024, among the cities with a GDP exceeding 1 trillion yuan, 21 cities had an economic growth rate higher than or equal to the national GDP growth rate of 5%. Among them, 7 cities had an economic growth rate higher than or equal to 6%.
Specifically, Quanzhou had the highest GDP growth rate last year, reaching 6.5%. Nantong followed with a GDP growth rate of 6.2%. Fuzhou, Hefei, Changzhou, and Yantai each had a GDP growth rate of 6.1%, while Suzhou had a growth rate of 6%
Why are these “trillion-yuan GDP cities” able to lead the nation’s economic growth? Pan Helin analyzed that industrial advantages are a key reason. “These cities have rapidly developed in their respective advantageous industries. For example, Quanzhou has a well-developed textile and footwear industry, Nantong has strong construction and shipbuilding industries, Fuzhou leads in the electronics and information industry, and Hefei excels in the technology and innovation sector, all of which are leaders nationwide,” Pan Helin said. At the same time, these cities emphasize technological innovation and talent attraction. By increasing investment in research and development, building innovation platforms, and optimizing the innovation environment, they have effectively enhanced their innovation capacity and competitiveness.
Taking Quanzhou, which has the highest GDP growth rate, as an example, in recent years, industry has become an important engine driving Quanzhou’s economic growth. According to data released by the Quanzhou Municipal Bureau of Statistics, in 2024, among the nine major trillion-yuan industries in the city, eight of them achieved growth in industrial added value. Notably, under the influence of the “Revitalizing Consumption, Revitalizing Manufacturing” series of activities in Quanzhou, the footwear industry saw a 16.1% increase in added value, the machinery and equipment industry grew by 12.8%, and the building materials and furniture industry grew by 11%.
Focusing on industrial innovation to drive growth
As we move into 2025, how will “trillion-yuan GDP cities” continue to drive growth? A review by the reporter reveals that many cities are focusing on developing their advantageous industries as a key area of growth.
For example, Suzhou has clearly outlined plans to fully implement the “Top Ten Actions for Suzhou Manufacturing,” aiming to build a modern industrial system with world-class competitiveness. The city is committed to becoming a global leader in “intelligent manufacturing” and aims to create four trillion-yuan industries by 2026, cultivate 15 industries exceeding 100 billion yuan, and drive industrial output value to reach 5 trillion yuan.
At a recent press conference, officials from Chongqing’s relevant departments stated that the city will implement a modernization action plan centered on the “33618” modern manufacturing cluster to strengthen and expand the city’s industrial system, aiming to achieve breakthroughs in creating new sources of productive power. The focus will be on promoting the “4 clusters of momentum,” which include fostering the growth of leading industries, emerging industries, future industries, the intelligent transformation and green transition of traditional industries, and modern services, thus providing strong support for high-quality development in the western region as a pioneer zone.
Other cities have also proposed actively utilizing artificial intelligence technology to empower high-quality development across various industries. For example, the Beijing “Artificial Intelligence+” Action Plan (2024–2025) aims to significantly enhance the independent innovation capabilities of large models through key project initiatives, resource supply-demand matching, and demonstration of specialized scenarios. The plan seeks to promote the development of standardized, large-scale, and cross-sector collaborative application paths, accelerating the intelligent transformation of thousands of industries.
“In the future, each ‘trillion-yuan GDP city’ should continue to build a more convenient, efficient, and transparent business environment, focus on improving people’s livelihoods and social development, and strengthen the construction of public service systems such as education, healthcare, and culture, in order to provide citizens with better urban services,” said Pan Helin.
