(Yicai Global) Dec. 17 -- China has revised down growth in its gross domestic product last year to 2.2 percent from 2.3 percent, according to final data the National Bureau of Statistics published today.

GDP was scaled down by CNY241.9 billion (USD37.98 billion) to CNY101.36 trillion (USD15.92 trillion), the NBS said, adding that the figure did not include economic data from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan province.

China publishes initial GDP numbers before Jan. 20 and final figures no later than January of the following year. The two can vary as the final calculation uses more comprehensive and reliable basic data, the NBS said.

Next year, China’s economy is expected to grow 5.13 percent, despite downward pressure, Yicai Global reported yesterday, citing the average forecast of 18 chief economists from major financial institutions.

Growth this year will likely come in at 8.06 percent due to last year’s low base caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the economists polled by Yicai Global.

China’s economy grew 9.8 percent in the first three quarters of 2021 from a year earlier, according to data released by the NBS in October. But growth slowed to 4.9 percent in the third quarter. The two-year average was 5.2 percent.

Editor: Peter Thomas