According to the Baotou City Statistics Bureau, Baotou's economy achieved a strong start in Q1 2025. The city's GDP reached 109.13 billion yuan, up 7.1% year-on-year at constant prices. By sector, the primary industry's added value grew by 5.0%, the secondary industry by 11.7%, and the tertiary industry by 4.0%, with their contributions to GDP at 0.8:46.5:52.7, and their respective contributions to economic growth at 0.6%, 67.3%, and 32.1%. The industrial, construction, and non-profit service sectors were the main drivers of growth, contributing 81.2% to Baotou's economic growth in Q1.
I. Steady Industrial Growth with Expanding New Productivity
Q1 saw a 13.0% year-on-year increase in added value of industrial enterprises above the designated size, surpassing the national (6.5%) and regional (7.0%) averages by 6.5 and 6.0 percentage points, respectively, marking 55 consecutive months of double-digit growth.
All three major industrial categories grew: mining added value increased by 20.5%, manufacturing by 13.4%, and electricity, heat, gas, and water production and supply by 7.1%. Among 34 major industry categories, 23 saw growth, a growth coverage of 67.6%.
Pillar industries maintained stable growth: the crystalline silicon photovoltaic, steel, aluminum, and rare earth industries saw added value increases of 12.1%, 3.0%, 6.8%, and 10.6%, respectively, collectively driving a 5.8 percentage point increase in industrial added value above the designated size. Additionally, the onshore wind power equipment industry’s added value surged by 59.8%, exceeding the industrial average by 46.8 percentage points.
Six out of ten product outputs grew: among 30 key monitored products in Baotou, 18 saw year-on-year output increases, including rare earth compounds up 6.6%, single rare earth metals up 13.0%, polysilicon up 132.1%, monocrystalline silicon up 65.6%, ferroalloys up 85.3%, and aluminum up 9.5%.
New productivity continued to expand: Baotou focused on building "3+5+N" key industrial clusters, accelerating strategic emerging industries. Strategic emerging industries’ added value grew by 15.7%, with five major new industries—fluorine materials, carbon fiber and polymer new materials, and new energy heavy trucks and components—surging by 37.6%, outpacing the industrial average by 24.6 percentage points.
II. Steady Investment Growth with Accelerating Transition of Growth Drivers
Q1 fixed asset investment grew by 20.9% year-on-year, surpassing national (4.2%) and regional (20.0%) averages by 16.7 and 0.9 percentage points, respectively.
Industrial investment provided significant support: primary industry investment grew by 13.6%; secondary industry investment rose by 25.6%, with industrial investment also up 25.6%, exceeding overall investment growth by 4.7 percentage points, accounting for 85.7% of total investment (up 3.2 percentage points from last year), and driving a 21.1 percentage point increase in overall investment; tertiary industry investment fell by 1.9%.
Wind power and rare earth industries saw robust investment growth: driven by wind power projects, wind power industry investment surged 94.4 times year-on-year, boosting citywide investment by 21.6 percentage points. Additionally, under the city’s initiative to build "two rare earth bases," rare earth industry investment grew 3.4 times year-on-year, contributing 6.5 percentage points to overall investment growth.
