(Yicai Global) July 2 -- China's per capita gross national income reached USD9,732 last year, which is higher than the average of middle-income countries, official figures show.

China's economy grew at an average annual rate of 9.4 percent from 1979 to last year, much higher than the world average of 2.9 percent over the same period, according to a report the National Bureau of Statistics released today to mark progress in the 70 years since the People's Republic of China was founded.

The country's contribution to global economic growth has averaged about 18 percent a year over the seven decades, second only to the US.

Its per capita disposable income reached CNY28,228 (USD4,120) last year, 24.3 times more than in 1978. Rural residents' per capita discretionary income has actually grown faster than that for city residents for many years. The earnings gap between urbanites and countryfolk has also been narrowing, and the proportion of their disposable income fell to less than three-to-one last year.

China has also wrought wonders in erasing poverty. The ranks of its rural poor fell to 16.6 million at the end of last year, with 82.4 million lifted out of hardship in the past six years alone, making it the first developing country to achieve the United Nation's poverty alleviation goal.

Countries with a per capita national income of USD1,026 to USD3,995 are lower-middle income economies, while those with USD3,996 to USD12,375 are upper-middle income economies, according to the latest World Bank standards.

Editor: Ben Armour