Monitoring China’s Human Development — Assessing economic and social progress, as well as environmental costs, across Chinese regions and cities

By 2023, China's Human Development Index (HDI) reached 0.797, close to the threshold of very high human development (0.800), reflecting major gains in income, education, and life expectancy. Yet continuing advancing this progress will require addressing demographic change, regional disparities, and mounting environmental pressures. Given the country's size and diversity, targeted solutions require a more nuanced understanding of development pathways going beyond national averages. 

Monitoring China’s Human Development updates earlier estimates of China’s human development progress at the provincial, and prefectural levels. For the first time, it introduces the Planetary pressures-adjusted Human Development Index (PHDI) at the provincial level, showing how carbon emissions and material footprint affect development outcomes.

The report finds that human development has become more inclusive and geographically balanced, with more cities reaching high or very high levels. At the same time, it shows that environmental costs change development assessments, especially for resource-intensive regions. The report calls for a more integrated approach, one that sustains progress in people’s well-being while reducing the environmental costs of growth, so that China’s next stage of development is both more resilient and more sustainable.