A bird's-eye view of Yangquan in Shanxi province. [Photo/sxgov.cn] 

According to official statistics, Yangquan's economic performance in 2024 showed a gradual recovery trend, achieving a GDP of 85.62 billion yuan ($11.76 billion). 

The primary industry contributed 1.73 billion yuan, a growth of 3.5 percent. The secondary industry, however, declined by 7 percent, contributing 38.05 billion yuan. The tertiary industry grew by 3.5 percent, contributing 45.84 billion yuan. 

The total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery in Yangquan amounted to 3 billion yuan, an increase of 3.8 percent year over year. 

Specifically, the agricultural output value was 1.36 billion yuan, growing by 3.3 percent, and the animal husbandry output value was 1.19 billion yuan, growing by 7.7 percent. The annual grain output was 237,000 metric tons, with a yield of 284.9 kilograms per mu (0.07 hectares).  

New material enterprises in the chemical and non-ferrous sectors achieved clustered development. Leading companies emerged in lithium and sodium battery anode and cathode materials, and the new energy battery industry formed a cohesive chain. 

The added value of strategic emerging industries grew by 12.7 percent. The new materials and environmental protection industries saw increases of 42.4 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively.

The service sector's added value grew 3.5 percent compared to the previous year. Profit-oriented services increased their added value by 20 percent, the financial industry by 10.2 percent, wholesale and retail by 2.2 percent, and accommodation and catering by 2 percent.

In service industries, the operating income of information transmission, software, and information technology services increased by 43.7 percent, while professional technical services saw a rise of 4.1 percent.

Retail sales in Yangquan reached 33.58 billion yuan, up 1 percent year over year. Sales of new energy vehicles surged 41 percent, and sales of household appliances and audiovisual equipment grew 25.7 percent.

Yangquan's total import and export volume rapidly increased, reaching 1.67 billion yuan for the year, an increase of 3.1 percent. Exports totaled 690 million yuan, growing 28.4 percent, while imports amounted to 980 million yuan, declining 9.4 percent.

The per capita disposable income of urban residents in Yangquan was 42,166 yuan, an increase of 3.4 percent, while that of rural residents was 21,405 yuan, an increase of 4.6 percent.

The consumer price index for Yangquan residents rose by 0.3 percent year-on-year.