China sees stronger retail & factory growth in Q1 2025

China’s economy showed signs of strengthening in the first quarter of 2025 (Q1), with both retail sales and industrial output registering accelerated year-on-year (YoY) growth, according to official data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Retail sales of consumer goods—a key gauge of consumption—rose by 4.6 per cent to ¥12.47 trillion (~$1.73 trillion), outpacing the 2024 growth rate by 1.1 percentage points. In March alone, sales rose 5.9 per cent YoY, an improvement from the 4 per cent growth in the first two months of the year.

Meanwhile, China’s value-added industrial output climbed 6.5 per cent YoY in the January–March period, accelerating from 5.9 per cent in the first two months. March saw a stronger performance, with industrial output jumping 7.7 per cent from a year earlier. The data reflects the activity of large enterprises with annual main business revenues exceeding ¥20 million (~$2.77 million).

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)