Asian Development Bank and People's Republic of China: Fact Sheet

Abstract

Updated yearly, this ADB Fact Sheet provides social and economic indicators on the PRC as well as concise information on ADB's operations in the country and contact information. The People's Republic of China (PRC) has been one of the world's fastest growing economies for more than 2 decades now, and posted another strong year in 2005, expanding by 9.9%. Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) reached $1,700 and the number of rural poor living below the official poverty line fell to 23.6 million (2.3%), from 250 million (30.7%) in 1978, when the Government began market-oriented economic reforms. However, the gap between rich and poor; rural and urban; and coastal, central, and western regions of the country has grown. Some 173 million people—13.4% of the population—still live below the dollar-a-day poverty line in 2003.