China raises estimate of economy’s size following census

BEIJING (AP) — China has raised its estimate of the size of its economy by 2.1% following a census, raising its gross domestic product for 2018 to 91.93 trillion yuan ($13.1 trillion).

The National Bureau of Statistics said Friday the revision reflects a more complete measures of the services sector. It raises the possibility China will reach its target of doubling its GDP between 2010 and 2020.

The government plans to issue revised GDP growth estimates but did not say when.

China’s economy, the world’s second largest, expanded at an annual pace of 6.0% in the July-September quarter, the slowest growth since 1992.

Chinese economic planners are seeking to slow growth to help rebalance the economy and shift away from heavy reliance on government-financed construction, property development and exports toward consumer-driven growth.