Hainan’s research and development (R&D) spending rose to ¥10.96 billion in 2024, a year-on-year increase of ¥1.98 billion. According to the latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, this 22.05% growth rate was the highest in the country, 13.2 percentage points above the national average of 8.9%.
This marks the third consecutive year that Hainan has led the nation in R&D expenditure growth, underscoring the province’s accelerating innovation momentum under the broader strategy of developing the Hainan Free Trade Port.
R&D expenditure and its intensity, defined as the ratio of R&D spending to regional GDP, are key international indicators of a region’s innovation capacity. In addition to expanding its total investment, Hainan also improved its R&D intensity to 1.38% in 2024. This moved the province up one spot in national rankings to 22nd place, placing it firmly in the mid-tier among all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China.
These gains reflect Hainan’s broader push to become a hub for innovation. The province is pursuing a five-pronged development strategy while building three major pillars: open cooperation in science and technology, technological innovation, and system-level reforms in its science and tech ecosystem.
Hainan is reinforcing its innovation infrastructure, from basic research to commercial applications, with the goal of supporting a modern industrial system and delivering tangible progress in the quality and efficiency of scientific output.
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