The manufacturing industry refers to the sector that utilizes resources (materials, energy, equipment, tools, capital, technology, information, labor, etc.) during the industrial era to transform them—through manufacturing processes and according to market demands—into large-scale tools, industrial products, and consumer goods for public use. Manufacturing directly reflects a nation’s productivity level and serves as a critical factor distinguishing developing countries from developed ones. It occupies a significant share in the national economies of developed countries.
As a pillar industry in China, manufacturing has maintained robust development momentum. However, with the fading of the demographic dividend and rising labor costs, the traditional labor-driven development path has become increasingly constrained. Meanwhile, intelligent equipment, represented by industrial robots, is revolutionizing production methods in traditional equipment manufacturing, logistics, and related sectors. The digital transformation of manufacturing has emerged as a vital component of China’s innovation-driven development strategy. Industrial chains in key domains—major equipment manufacturing, core foundational components, and new materials—continue to advance. The pace of digital industrialization and industrial digitization is accelerating, with the digital economy providing strong momentum for economic and social development.
The basic information data of industrially and commercially registered manufacturing enterprises encompasses detailed registration records of 15 million manufacturing enterprises and individual businesses across 363 cities and 2,933 districts/counties (区县) in China’s 31 provinces, vividly illustrating the evolution of regional manufacturing from 1950 to the present.
Time Coverage
1950–2024.10
Industry Details
Field Descriptions
Sample Data
Relevant Literature
- Wang Linhui, Jiang Hao, Dong Zhiqing, 2022: "Will Industrial Reshape the Geographical Distribution of Enterprises?" China Industrial Economics, No. 2.
- Fan Jianyong, Liu Nian, Liu Yingying, 2021: "Geographical Distance, Input-Output Linkages, and Industrial Agglomeration," Economic Research Journal, No. 10.
Data Update Frequency
Annual updates