Tibet and Economic Trends

Tibet is an autonomous region located in Southwest China. The province is mostly developed in the primary sector, with agriculture and livestock farming being the largest contributors to the regional GDP but has made strides in the development of sectors related to the processing of minerals, metals, and electricity generation. The area is also renowned for tourism and the wide variety of animal species and plants used in Tibetan medicine. Furthermore, Tibet is the second largest province in China with a land area that covers 1/8 of the entire national territory, with a surface area of 1,228,000 km2, and has a population of 3.6 million inhabitants.

Local authority data shows that Tibet province recorded total exports of USD 0.2 billion and total imports of USD 0.1 billion, with 266 established foreign investment companies. In addition to an average urban salary of USD 17,533.

In terms of GDP, the province of Tibet ranked last in China, reaching USD 27 billion in 2020 and USD 24 billion in 2019, with a GDP per capita of USD 7,866. Along with GDP growth of +8.1% in 2019 and +7.8% in 2020.

Main Economic Centres (GDP) in Tibet

• Lhasa (USD 10 billion)

• Shigatse (USD 5 billion)

• Changdu (USD 3 billion)

• Shannan (USD 3 billion)

• Nyingchi (USD 3 billion)

Main Sectors in Tibet

• Tourism

• Raw materials

• Agricultural Products

• Traditional medicine

Main Industrial Areas in Tibet

• Lhasa Economic and Technological Development Zone

• Lhasa High-tech Industrial Development Zone

• Dazi Industrial Park

• Tibet Nagqu High-tech Industrial Development Zone

• Zangqing Industrial Park