Zhejiang province released its 2026 development plan on March 6, including 38 indicators across five categories: economic development, innovation-driven growth, public well-being, green and low-carbon development, and security.

Under economic targets, the province aims to achieve GDP growth of 5 to 5.5 percent in 2026, while striving for better results in practice. The added value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries is expected to grow by more than 3.5 percent, while value added by above-designated-size industrial enterprises — defined as those with annual revenue of 20 million yuan ($2.86 million) or more — is projected to increase by around 6 percent. The service sector is expected to expand by more than 5.5 percent. Total labor productivity is expected to grow faster than GDP, and the urbanization rate of the permanent population is projected at around 76.5 percent.

Other targets include around 5 percent growth in total retail sales of consumer goods, manufacturing investment growth of more than 8 percent, and project and industrial investment growth of more than 5 percent. Zhejiang aims to maintain about an 11.6 percent share of the country's total imports and exports of goods and services, with goods exports growing by more than 5 percent. The province also targets $13 billion in actual use of foreign investment. Construction land use per unit of GDP is expected to decline by 3.5 percent.

Innovation indicators include around 2 percent growth in general public budget revenue and about 8 percent growth in research and development spending. The number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people is expected to reach 25.5, while the value added of core digital economy industries is projected to account for 12.8 percent of GDP. The value added of strategic emerging industries is expected to account for about 35 percent of the value added of above-designated-size industrial enterprises.

In terms of public well-being, the surveyed urban unemployment rate is targeted at below 5 percent, with more than 1 million new urban jobs. Consumer price growth is expected to be around 2 percent. Resident income growth is expected to keep pace with economic growth, while the income ratio between urban and rural residents is projected at around 1.80. The proportion of households with annual disposable income between 100,000 yuan and 500,000 yuan (based on a three-person household) is targeted at 77.6 percent. The average years of education among the working-age population is expected to reach 11.6 years. Per 1,000 people, the number of practicing physicians is expected to reach 3.85, and registered nurses 4.75. Nursing beds are projected to account for 69.8 percent of beds in elderly care institutions. The childcare enrollment rate for children under three years old is expected to increase by 1 percentage point. Average life expectancy is expected to reach 82.6 years. The value added of culture and related industries is expected to account for about 7.4 percent of GDP.

Green development targets include reducing carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in line with national goals, cutting water use per unit of GDP by 2.8 percent, and raising the share of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption to about 20 percent. PM2.5 concentration in prefecture-level and above cities is expected to meet national targets, while the proportion of high-quality water bodies is expected to steadily increase. Forest coverage is expected to remain above 58 percent.

For security, Zhejiang aims to maintain overall grain production capacity at 15 billion kilograms and comprehensive energy production capacity at 53 million metric tons of standard coal equivalent.