In 2023, China's GDP per capita was 89,400 yuan, which is approximately $12,700 USD. This is comparable to countries like Malaysia ($12,000 USD), Saint Lucia ($13,000 USD), and Seychelles ($13,300 USD).
However, the global GDP per capita reached $13,300 USD, several hundred dollars higher than China's.
Despite this, many people are still aware that China has not yet reached the level of developed countries.
With a GDP per capita threshold of $30,000 USD for developed countries, China only reaches 42.3% of this standard.
Compared to developed countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, China falls far behind.
In 2023, the United States had a GDP per capita of over $80,000 USD, Canada over $50,000 USD, Australia over $60,000 USD, and even the lowest-performing United Kingdom reached $49,000 USD, which is 3.9 times that of China.
This illustrates China's current per capita situation in global terms, far below half the threshold of developed countries, with several times the gap compared to well-performing developed countries.
As an industrialized country with vast land and a large population, China not only surpasses other developing countries in many areas but also outperforms most developed countries.
Here are some representative aspects:
First is vegetable consumption.
In 2023, China's vegetable production reached 800 million tons, accounting for nearly half of the world's production.
India's production was approximately 150 million tons, ranking second globally.
In contrast, the United States, with a similar land area to China, produced only 48 million tons, ranking fifth globally.
In terms of per capita consumption, each person in China consumes over 380 kilograms of vegetables, far exceeding one-fourth of India's and one-third of the United States'. There is also a significant gap in per capita consumption compared to other developed countries.
Regarding the 2020 global per capita vegetable consumption ranking, China ranked first with 323 kilograms per capita consumption, with only Croatia's 329 kilograms surpassing China.
China's high vegetable production and per capita consumption are attributed to the continuous implementation of the "basket of vegetables" project over the years, ensuring fresh vegetables are available year-round.
In 1990, China's vegetable planting area was 95 million hectares, with a production of 195 million tons.
By 2023, the vegetable planting area had expanded to 336 million hectares, with a production of 800 million tons, ensuring a year-round supply of fresh vegetables.
Additionally, China's meat consumption has been continuously increasing.
In 2023, China's per capita meat consumption reached 54.4 kilograms, surpassing Germany's 51.6 kilograms.
In recent years, not only vegetable production but also meat and egg production in China have seen significant increases.
Next is port throughput.
As China became the "world's factory" and foreign trade rapidly developed, the trade volume of oil, grain, ores, and container goods reached astonishing levels.
As a result, China occupies eight positions in the world's top ten ports, with all top five spots taken by Chinese ports.
For example, in 2022, the cargo throughput of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port reached 1.26 billion tons, more than twice the sum of two foreign ports, Singapore and Rotterdam.
Europe's largest port, Rotterdam, had a cargo throughput of only 470 million tons in the same year, mainly due to its reliance on the huge market of the EU's 450 million population.
Third is high-speed rail mileage.
Although China's development in high-speed rail has been relatively short, progress has been rapid. The first high-speed railway, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway, opened on August 1, 2008, followed by large-scale construction in the 2010s.
By the end of 2023, China's operational railway mileage reached 45,000 kilometers, accounting for 60% of the world's high-speed rail mileage, one and a half times that of foreign countries.
China's high-speed rail technology has matured, absorbing technology from countries like Germany and Japan, making it the world's highest-level high-speed rail builder in terms of technology and construction experience.
Fourth is mobile payment.
Mobile payment in China has been popularized across urban and rural areas.
In 2023, China's total mobile payment volume reached 185.1 billion transactions, averaging one transaction every 2-3 days per person.
China's mobile payment adoption rate reached 81.5%, far exceeding South Korea's 46% and the United States' 43%.
Lastly, research and development capabilities.
As an industrialized country, China has made significant achievements in research and development. According to data from the World Intellectual Property Organization, in 2020, China's patent applications reached 1.5 million, ranking first globally, far ahead of other countries.
In 2023, China's total research and development expenditure reached $468 billion USD, accounting for 28% of the global total, almost the same as China's share of global industrial output.
China's education development and the influx of a large number of graduates in science and engineering have made China the world's number one in terms of the number of researchers.
In conclusion, GDP per capita only reflects part of the situation and cannot fully express the actual situation of a country.
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