According to the Statistical Bulletin of Shanxi Economy and Social Development in 2013, released by the Shanxi Bureau of Statistics, the GDP of the province reached 1.26 trillion yuan in 2013, increasing by 8.9% year on year; whileper capita GDP hit $ 5,621 dollars, reaching the average level of middle-income countries and regions. In addition, urban per capita disposable income of the province increased by 10% last year, while rural per capita net income increased by 12.5%.

The statistics show that Shanxi's public fiscal revenue last year was 170.02 billion yuan, 12.1% more than last year. The tax revenue was 113.55 billion yuan, increasing by 8.6%, including 95.6 billion yuan from domestic value-added tax, business tax, enterprise income tax, individual income tax, resources tax and urban construction tax. Public fiscal expenditure was 303.05 billion yuan, increasing by 9.7%, including 247.8 billion yuan invested in people's livelihoods – such as education, health care, social security and employment, housing security, public transportation, energy conservation, and environmental protection – which accounted for 81.8% of the total public fiscal expenditure.

Edited by Brian Salter