China’s data industry more than doubled in size during the current Five-Year Plan, reaching 5.86 trillion yuan (about US$821 billion) by the end of 2024, according to figures released by the National Data Administration. The increase represents growth of 117% from the end of 2020, underscoring Beijing’s push to make data a central production factor in the economy. Head of the agency Liu Liehong said the number of data-related companies surpassed 400,000 last year, while 3,328 new data products were listed on the country’s major data exchanges in the first half of 2025, up 70% from a year earlier. Digital infrastructure continues to expand, with 4.55 million 5G base stations and 226 million gigabit broadband users as of June, giving China the world’s second-largest computing capacity and laying the groundwork for further growth in artificial-intelligence applications and other data-driven services.