China’s services sector continued to expand in January–September 2026. Preliminary figures put its value added at 628,255 billion yuan, up 5.2% from the same period a year earlier.
The sector accounted for 58.7% of China’s gross domestic product, 0.2 percentage points more than a year earlier. Its contribution to economic growth was 66.3%. In the third quarter, services value added increased 5.2% year on year.
From January to August, revenue at large services companies grew 6%. Revenue in research and experimental development rose 18.5%, while multimodal transport and transport agency services increased 12.7%.
China’s total trade in services reached 50,701.6 billion yuan in the first eight months, up 7.9%. Services exports rose 14.8% to 19,996.1 billion yuan.
Emerging areas also expanded: revenue at large companies in strategic emerging services grew 6.3%, while firms applying digital technologies recorded 7.5% growth. Fixed-asset investment in high-tech services rose 6.6% in the first nine months.
In September, the services business activity index stood at 50.2%, up 0.9 percentage points from the previous month. The sector’s business activity expectations index was 55.5%.
China’s National Bureau of Statistics said the services economy remained stable, while noting that continued improvement would require stronger foundations amid an unsettled external environment.
