(Yicai Global) Aug. 8 -- As many as 37 prefecture-level cities in China had over CNY100,000 (USD14,800) in per capita gross domestic product in 2021, nine more than the previous year, according to Yicai Global’s calculations based on official data.

Twenty-two of the cities were in coastal areas. Jiangsu province, north of Shanghai, had the most at seven. Though the gap has narrowed over recent years, the closer these cities are to Shanghai the more advanced was their economic development.

Zhejiang and Fujian provinces each had four of the cities. Guangdong and Shandong, China’s No. 1 and No. 3 provinces for GDP, counted three each.

Ningde in Fujian entered the list at 37th, jumping from 46th. The city gained mainly thanks to leading local firms such as power battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology. Ningde’s GDP soared to CNY315.1 billion (USD46.6 billion) in 2021, up CNY57.4 billion (USD8.5 billion) from the year earlier.

Most of the cities in central and western China with GDP per head of more than CNY100,000, including Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Shaanxi province, are energy hubs whose GDPs grew last year are as a result of surging raw material and energy prices. Four cities from these areas made the top 10.

Cities whose main industries are energy-related are rich in natural resources and need to extend their industrial chains and enrich their systems in the future, Niu Fengrui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Yicai Global. To grow bigger and stronger, peripheral cities must develop different industries with their own advantages, thereby boosting their competitiveness, Niu noted.

Editors: Shi Yi, Futura Costaglione