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However, government figures also showed that economic growth slowed to 4.5% in the final quarter of 2025 compared with the previous year.

Beijing had set an economic growth target of “around 5%” for 2025, despite struggles to boost domestic spending, a prolonged property crisis, and turbulence caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

While China’s official figures indicate the target was met, some analysts question the accuracy of the data.

Capital Economics China economist Zichun Huang said: “Even if the headline GDP figure for 2025 matched the government’s target at 5%, we think growth was weaker than the official numbers suggest.”

Huang added that the firm’s own calculations indicate China’s official growth figures overstate the pace of economic expansion by at least 1.5 percentage points.

Meanwhile, data released on Monday showed China recorded its lowest number of births last year since records began in 1949.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, total births fell to 7.9 million in 2025.

Authorities said the country’s population declined for a fourth consecutive year in 2025, dropping by 3.4 million to 1.4 billion.

These figures highlight China’s deepening demographic crisis, despite government efforts to boost birth rates by offering incentives to couples.