"According to preliminary estimates, China's GDP in annual terms in 2020 amounted to 101.598 trillion yuan [about $15.68 trillion], an increase of 2.3% over the same period last year," the NBS report says.
China’s GDP grew 6.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, amid an improving epidemiological situation, NBS said.
According to the statistics bureau, the Chinese economy grew only 0.7 percent in the first three quarters of 2020 (decreasing 6.8 percent in the first quarter and growing 3.2 percent in the second quarter and 4.9 percent in the third quarter).
More than 11.8 million jobs were created in China in 2020, significantly exceeding the official annual plan (9 million jobs), according to NBS. City unemployment in China stood at 5.6 percent last year, with a 4.7 percent unemployment reported in December in the 25-59 age group.
In 2019, the Chinese economy grew 6 percent.