Business & IndustryAnalysis

China's 'Three New' Economy Reaches 18.39% of GDP in 2025, Data Shows

Output from new industries, emerging business formats, and innovative commercial models totaled 25.79 trillion yuan, outstripping overall nominal GDP growth.

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Dramatic night view of Shanghai Bund with illuminated buildings reflecting on water.
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The Brief

China’s 'Three New' economy—encompassing new industries, new business formats, and new commercial models—reached 25.79 trillion yuan in 2025, accounting for 18.39% of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. The sector's value added expanded by 6.2% at current prices, outpacing overall nominal GDP growth by 2.2 percentage points. The service sector dominated the composition, generating 55% of total 'Three New' economic output.

Why it matters

The 'Three New' economic data provides a key benchmark for observing China's structural transition from traditional manufacturing and property-driven growth toward innovation-led, high-quality development. The steady increase in its share of total economic output indicates that digital business models, emerging tech industries, and service innovations are increasingly serving as key growth drivers.

China context

China's National Bureau of Statistics regularly calculates and releases 'Three New' economic indicators to measure the implementation and impact of the country's innovation-driven development strategy. The statistical framework aggregates emerging economic activities across the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors resulting from modern technological applications and business model innovations.

Editor's View

EDITOR'S VIEW — Analysis and inference, not factual reporting. The 2025 figures underscore a continuing structural pivot toward tertiary services, which led the 'Three New' expansion with a 6.6% nominal growth rate. While high-tech manufacturing and modern service industries continue to grow faster than conventional sectors, the central question remains whether these emerging drivers can generate sufficient volume to offset ongoing headwinds in legacy industries such as traditional real estate and heavy manufacturing.

What to watch

  • Whether the 'Three New' economy's share of GDP continues its upward trajectory in future accounting periods.
  • The ongoing impact of targeted industrial policies and high-tech investment on secondary industry performance within the 'Three New' sector.
  • Growth trends in service sector digital platforms amid shifting domestic consumer spending patterns.

Key Takeaways

  • 1China's 'Three New' economy reached 25.79 trillion yuan in 2025, representing 18.39% of total national GDP.
  • 2The sector expanded by 6.2% year-on-year at current prices, outperforming overall nominal GDP growth by 2.2 percentage points.
  • 3The tertiary (services) sector formed the largest share at 55.0% of total 'Three New' output, generating 14.17 trillion yuan with a 6.6% growth rate.
  • 4The secondary industry accounted for 41.2% (10.63 trillion yuan) with a 5.8% growth rate, while the primary industry made up 3.8% (986.5 billion yuan) with a 4.0% growth rate.
China’s economic output generated by emerging industries, novel business formats, and innovative commercial models reached 25.79 trillion yuan in 2025, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The figure represents a year-on-year increase of 6.2% measured at current prices, exceeding the growth rate of overall nominal gross domestic product (GDP) by 2.2 percentage points. Consequently, the 'Three New' economy expanded its footprint to 18.39% of national GDP in 2025, representing an increase of 0.38 percentage points from the previous year. The NBS categorizes the 'Three New' economy as a composite of economic activities driven by technological breakthroughs, industrial upgrades, and business innovation. This includes sectors created directly by the industrialization of new technologies, traditional industries transformed through modern information technology, and modern services leveraging digital platforms and customized business models. A breakdown by industry sector shows that the tertiary (services) industry remained the largest component of the 'Three New' economy in 2025. Value added in the tertiary sector totaled 14.17 trillion yuan, growing 6.6% year-on-year at current prices and comprising 55.0% of all 'Three New' economic activity. The secondary industry—encompassing advanced manufacturing and modernized industrial production—contributed 10.63 trillion yuan in value added, up 5.8% year-on-year and accounting for 41.2% of the total. The primary sector accounted for 986.5 billion yuan, posting a 4.0% increase and representing 3.8% of the total 'Three New' output. The figures demonstrate that tech-driven services and modernized manufacturing are continuing to gain share within China's broader economic architecture as policy initiatives prioritize high-quality growth.