China's value-added industrial output increased by 5.4 percent year on year in the first five months of 2026, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Tuesday.

For May alone, output grew 4.5 percent year on year and rose 0.4 percent compared with the previous month.

Industrial output is used to measure the activity of large enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan.

In terms of sectors, the value-added output of the mining sector increased by 2.3 percent year on year in May, while that of the manufacturing sector grew by 4.4 percent.

The value-added output of the electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply sectors went up by 7.6 percent.

Retail sales of goods and services, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, increased by 2.8 percent year on year in the first five months of 2026.

Fixed-asset investment fell 4.1 percent in the first five months of 2025, following a 1.6 percent contraction in the January-April period.

The surveyed urban unemployment rate in China stood at 5.1 percent in May, 0.1 percentage points lower than that of the previous month.

A bureau spokesperson said China had ample policy space, reserves and flexible tools to ensure stable economic growth and that the country's economic trend remains steady into the second quarter even as some indicators decline and some firms face difficulties.

The bureau said it would continue to monitor the impact from global energy prices on domestic prices. (Xinhua/Reuters)


Edited by Tony Sabine