China’s major industrial firms saw profits grow at a double-digit pace in the first eight months of 2026, official data showed on Monday, underscoring continued momentum in the world’s second-largest economy.
Industrial enterprises above designated size – those with annual main business revenue of 20 million yuan ($2.9 million) or more – raked in a combined 5.27 trillion yuan in profits from January to August, up 15.7% year on year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said. August alone saw profits rise 4.2%.
Sector-wise, the electronics and high-tech industries powered much of the gains. Profits of computer, communication and other electronic equipment manufacturers surged 109.9% year on year, while those in nonferrous metal smelting and processing rose 82.9% and coal mining and washing jumped 51.6%. In contrast, ferrous metal smelting profits fell 62.4%.
Efficiency metrics also improved. Operating revenue totaled 93.09 trillion yuan in the first eight months, up 6.6%, while the profit-to-revenue ratio rose by 0.44 percentage points to 5.66% in the same period. Costs per 100 yuan of revenue fell to 85.07 yuan, down 0.41 yuan year on year, the NBS said.
