People's incomes in China showed sustained growth last year amid a continued economic recovery, with income growth of rural residents outpacing that of urban residents, official data showed on Monday.
Kang Yi, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), briefed reporters at a press conference on China's economic performance in 2025.
"In 2025, the nationwide per capita disposable income of residents was 43,377 yuan (about 6,224 U.S. dollars), up 5 percent year on year in nominal terms, or a real increase of 5.0 percent after deducting price factors. In terms of permanent residence, the per capita disposable income in urban areas was 56,502 yuan, a nominal growth of 4.3 percent or a real growth of 4.2 percent over the previous year," Kang said.
The per capita disposable income of rural residents was 24,456 yuan, a nominal growth of 5.8 percent or a real growth of 6.0 percent over the previous year.
The median of the nationwide per capita disposable income was 36,231 yuan, a nominal increase of 4.4 percent over the previous year.
Grouped by income quintile, the per capita disposable income of low-income group reached 10,150 yuan, the lower-middle-income group 22,702 yuan, the middle-income group 35,536 yuan, the upper-middle-income group 55,586 yuan, and the high-income group 103,778 yuan.
"In 2025, the nationwide per capita consumption expenditure was 29,476 yuan, a nominal growth of 4.4 percent over the previous year, or a real growth of 4.4 percent after deducting price factors. The Engel coefficient that measures the proportion of per capita expenditure on food, tobacco, and alcohol in total per capita consumption expenditure was 29.3 percent, down by 0.5 percentage points compared with that of the previous year," said Kang.
Notably, per capita consumption of services rose 4.5 percent and accounted for 46.1 percent of total per capita consumption expenditure in 2025.
China sees sustained growth in people's incomes in 2025
A growing number of children in Gaza are now working to help support their families as schools are damaged and people are struggling to survive due to the war's impact.
In Gaza City, children once seen carrying school bags are now working amid the rubble of destroyed neighborhoods.
With cement in short supply, many residents have begun reusing stones recovered from homes destroyed during the war.
Thirteen-year-old Zakaria Abu Asr is one of the children working among the rubble. He spends long hours among the ruins of destroyed homes and the dangers of unexploded ordnance.
"I no longer go to school at all. My mother and my three siblings were killed, so I have to work. I start at six in the morning and work until sunset so I can earn money for my family," he said.
Extracting stones from destroyed homes has become a source of income for some families. The work is exhausting and risky, especially for children who spend long hours lifting heavy rocks.
"These children's fathers used to work with me before. Their fathers were killed during the displacement. I tried to help them, but the boys came to work on their own. I also have children as young as 10 asking to work, but I refused, and try to help them," said Wajih al-Khor, a workshop owner.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, around 39,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents since the war began. Nearly 17,000 have lost both and were forced to care for themselves and what remains of their families.
"But also we are talking about children who can't go to school or can't go to learning because they need to help and support their families financially. And this is an issue that affects so many families and so many children. The other problem with it is the kind of work that they are doing to support their families is usually dangerous, it's usually very straining and really affects their health now but also their future prospects," said UNICEF Spokesperson Salim Oweis.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said about 660,000 children in Gaza have been out of school for a third year, with nearly 90 percent of schools destroyed or damaged.
War robs Gaza children of childhood as they become family breadwinners
