China’s gross domestic product grew 4.5% year on year in the third quarter of 2026, according to data released on 19 October. The reading came in above the market forecast of 4.4% and was higher than the previous period’s 4.3%.
Comparison with forecast and prior period
The result beat expectations by 0.1 percentage points. Compared with the previous period, growth edged up by 0.2 points. The gross domestic product growth rate measures how much the total output of goods and services produced across the economy has expanded over a year, so a higher figure indicates faster overall expansion in economic activity.
What the figure measures
Year-on-year growth compares output in the reference quarter with output in the same quarter of the prior year, which smooths out seasonal swings. The release was published at 02:00 GMT.
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