Profiles of China Provinces, Cities and Industrial Parks

Major Economic Indicators

Notes: ¹ In real terms ² For all state-owned enterprises and other forms with annual sales over RMB 5 million
         ³ Jan-Sep 2011   ⁴ Jan-Oct 2011
Sources: Inner Mongolia Statistical Yearbook 2011, Inner Mongolia Statistical Bureau, China’s Customs Statistics
           12.2010, 11.2011

General Background

Inner Mongolia has a total area of 1.18 million square kilometers, accounting for 12.3% of the national total and is the third largest province or autonomous region of China. The total population stood at 24.7 million in 2010. The capital city is Hohhot city.

It is one of the five autonomous regions of China. It has 49 ethnic groups and Mongolian is the second largest ethnic group (about 17% of the total population) besides Han.

Inner Mongolia has the largest grassland area in China, accounting for 19% of the nation’s total available grassland. It also has the largest forest area, accounting for 12% of the national total.  Therefore, Inner Mongolia is important bases for livestock and forestry industries. The region’s number of sheep and goats accounted for 19% of the national total in 2010.

Inner Mongolia is also rich in mineral deposits, such as rare earth and coal. It is the region which discovered the largest number of new minerals. Among the more than 50 recognised new minerals in the world, Inner Mongolia has ten of them. The region is one of the leading production bases of coal in China.  It was reported that in the first eleven months of 2011, Inner Mongolia’s output of coal increased by 27% by volume, accounted of about 29% of the national total. It has the second largest reserves of coal after Xingjiang.

According to the 12^th five-year programme of Inner Mongolia, the region aims to become a major national base for energy, metallurgy industry and green agricultural production.

Industries

The primary sector still accounted for 9.4% of Inner Mongolia’s GDP in 2010.  Animal husbandry is an important sector accounting for 45% of the gross output of the agricultural sector.  Due to the large number of sheep and goats, Inner Mongolia is the leading production base for sheep wool and cashmere, accounting for 28% and 44% of the national total respectively in 2010. The region also has the largest output of mutton which accounted for more than 22% of the national total in 2010.

Composition of GDP (%)

Source: Inner Mongolia Statistical Yearbook, 2011

The number of cattle more than doubled in the last decade to reach 9.3 million by mid-2010 from 4.3 million in 2001. Inner Mongolia is the leading base of cow milk, accounting for 25% of the national total in 2010. Hohhot city, the capital city of Inner Mongolia, is also named as the Dairy Capital of China.  Famous national brands in dairy product have emerged, including Mingniu（蒙牛）and Yili（伊利）.

In terms of sown area, corn is the leading grain crop. Other major industrial corps include oil bearing crops such as sunflower seeds and vegetables including tomatoes. The region is also a leading production base of potatoes in China.

The share of industry in Inner Mongolia’s GDP has increased markedly over the years. The region’s industry is highly related to its natural resources and mainly consists of further processing of natural resources and agricultural products.

Inner Mongolia is the leading base for electricity generation for supplying to other provinces. It also has the largest wind power production capacity in China. Other major industry sectors include smelting and pressing of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, food manufacturing and textile.

Major Industry Groups (2010)

Source: Inner Mongolia Statistical Yearbook 2011

Tourism

Inner Mongolia has rich tourism resources including the natural scenery of large pastures or desert adventures such as the Sound Bay. The Mongolian ethnic culture and historical relics are also major attractions.

In 2010, Inner Mongolia received 44.8 million (+15.4%) domestic tourists with the tourism receipts of RMB69.3 billion (+20.9) and 1.4 million (+10.7%) overseas tourists with the foreign exchange revenue of US$602 million (+7.8%).

Foreign Trade

Major export items included base metal and related products, chemicals and related products, and textile materials.  Major export markets included Mongolia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Russia. In 2010, exports to Hong Kong reached US$444 million, or 13% of the region’s total exports. In 2010, major imports included minerals, wooden products and machinery.

Foreign Investment

FDI going into Inner Mongolia continued to grow in recent years.  The average annual growth from 2005 to 2010 reached 23.3%. Most of Inner Mongolia’s utilized FDI went to the secondary industry (58% of the total utilised FDI in 2010).  Production and supply of electricity is the second largest sector accounting for 25% of the total FDI in 2010.

Consumer Market

Hohhot and Baotou are the two leading consumer centre, accounting for 23% and 22% of the region’s total retail sales in 2010, much larger than the third consumer centre of Erdos City (11.4%). In 2010, the per capita disposable income of urban households in Inner Mongolia was RMB17,698 an increase of 11.7%.

Economic Indicators of Major Cities (2010)

Source : Inner Mongolia Statistical Yearbook, 2011