INDUSTRIAL POWER—FINANCED BY HOUSEHOLDS, ENFORCED BY SILENCE:

The IMF puts China’s 2025 GDP per capita at $13,806 a year — roughly $1,150 a month.

But using China International Capital Corp (CICC) income buckets below, only about ~2.5% of Chinese actually clear that level in monthly income — ~35 million out of ~1.4 billion. Most don’t live anywhere near the “average.”

So when outsiders swoon over the skyline, the mega-bridges, the high-speed rail to end of map, and the factory machine that exports “cheap and good” to the world, keep the base reality in frame:

•~547 million live on < $145/month.

•~1.33 billion earn < $724/month.

China’s Prosperity: Built by Households, Claimed by the State

Let this sink in.

The IMF puts China’s 2025 GDP per capita at $13,806 a year — roughly $1,150 a month.
But using China International Capital Corp (CICC) income buckets below, only about ~2.5% of Chinese actually… https://t.co/Ogn1osLU5a pic.twitter.com/HevlirDEdB

— Desmond Shum (@DesmondShum) February 11, 2026

In any case, it’s all fun and games, until the CCP begins welding the doors shut: