An intelligent workshop in Ningbo. [Photo/Yongpai App]

Ningbo's economy maintained steady growth in the first three quarters of 2026, with the city's gross domestic product (GDP) reaching 1.44 trillion yuan ($216 billion), up 5.3 percent year-on-year.

Industrial production remained a key growth driver. The value added of above-designated-size enterprises increased 8.2 percent, with automobile manufacturing rising 28.2 percent and computer and communications equipment manufacturing growing 12.2 percent.

The service sector expanded 4.6 percent, supported by information technology, transportation and hospitality. Ningbo-Zhoushan Port handled 34.66 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, an increase of 6.7 percent.

Foreign trade picked up steam, with total imports and exports reaching 1.19 trillion yuan, up 8.8 percent. Exports rose 11.3 percent to 822.3 billion yuan. Private enterprises accounted for 78.6 percent of the city's total trade, while trade with Africa and Latin America grew 19.8 percent and 11.1 percent, respectively. Exports of electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and solar products surged 119.4 percent.

Investment in digital economy core industries climbed 38.6 percent, while retail sales totaled 422.3 billion yuan, up 2.3 percent.

Residents' per capita disposable income reached 65,073 yuan, with rural incomes growing faster than urban incomes, reflecting continued improvements in people's livelihoods.