URUMQI - The growth rate of the average income of rural residents in Northwest Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has surpassed the average level of the country in the first six months of this year, statistics show.

The per capita cash income of Xinjiang's rural residents surged to 2,389 yuan ($370) in the first half year, up 24.5 percent year-on-year, which is 4.1 percent higher than the national average rural income growth rate, said Wang Yue, general statistician of the region's statistics bureau, on Wednesday at a press conference.

Wang attributed the high growth rate to the region's tremendous spending on people's livelihood, such as housing, social security, employment, and subsidies in agriculture and measures to curb inflation.

The region's gross domestic product in the first half year increased 11.7 percent year-on-year to 234.3 billion yuan ($36.2 billion), Wang said.

Over the past six months, the foreign trade volume of the region surged 40.5 percent year-on-year, 14.7 percent higher than the country's average volume, he added.

This year marks the beginning of 19 provinces and municipalities' support for Xinjiang, which has created a high incentive for the region's development, according to Wang.