Development Rate is a relative indicator of the degree of social and economic development calculated through the comparison of two different periods in the degree of development. Development rate can take the form of either fixed-base development rate or chain base development rate.
Growth Rate is equal to development rate minus one (or 100%), i.e. growth rate = development rate －1 (or 100%)
Average Annual Growth Rate Two methods for calculating average annual growth rate are applied in China, one is the more commonly-used “level approach” or the method of calculating geometric average, which is derived by comparing the level of the last year of the interval to that of the base year; the other is called “accumulative approach” or algebraic average or equation method, which is derived by comparing the summation of the actual figure of each year in the interval to the figure in the base year. The detailed calculating methods can be found by reference to the Check Table of Average Growth Rate published by China Financial Publishing House.
Under normal conditions the results calculated by the two methods are fairly close, but they differed sharply when uneven economic development occurred with striking fluctuations in growth.
The average annual growth rates listed in this statistical yearbook are calculated by level approach. The base years are not included when the years are listed for average annual growth rates. For instance, the average annual growth rate of 28 years since 1981 is listed as average annual growth rate of 1981-2009, among which 1980 is the base year and 2009 is the reference year.
Current Price refers to the actual price in the reference period, such as ex-factory price, purchasing price of agricultural products, retail price of commodities, etc. Total values of some quantum indicators in value terms at current prices, such as gross industrial output value and gross domestic product, are calculated in accordance with actual prices of the current year. When comparing indicators of value over time at current prices, they cannot accurately reflect the changes in real term due to price fluctuations of each year. That is why growth rates are calculated at constant prices.
Climate Index refers a quantitative description of the qualitative indices of the business climate survey of an enterprise. The increase and decrease of the indices directly reflect the status of an economy. The indices are between 0 and 200. 100 is the critical value—when the index is above 100, the economic situation is improving and the business climate is favorable; when the index is below 100, the economic situation is deteriorating and the business climate is unfavorable. |