China's economic indicators showed a robust beginning to the year 2026, with a significant increase in the number of newly registered business entities. Data reveals that in January 2026, approximately 1.7666 million new business entities were registered nationwide. This figure represents an increase of 239,900 compared to the same period last year, marking a growth rate of 15.71%.

At the provincial level, Guangdong maintained its leading position for several consecutive months. In January, the province registered 192,700 new entities, a year-on-year increase of 31.36%, accounting for 10.91% of the national total. The other top ten provinces by registration numbers included Hubei, Zhejiang, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Hebei, Sichuan, Fujian, and Hunan. Collectively, these ten provinces accounted for 61.42% of all new registrations in the country for the month.

In terms of growth rate, Qinghai province experienced the fastest expansion, with a remarkable surge of 62.53% in new business registrations for January. Nationwide, registration activity generally improved compared to the previous month, with only three regions recording negative growth rates while the rest showed positive performance.

Analyzing the data by sector, the retail industry continued to have the highest number of new registrations in January 2026, with 166,200 new entities, representing a 42.07% year-on-year increase. However, the scientific and technological promotion and application services sector recorded the fastest growth rate, with 97,600 new registrations, surging 62.81% compared to the same period last year. The top ten industries by number of new registrations were retail; wholesale; scientific and technological promotion and application services; business services; software and information technology services; building decoration and other construction; specialized technical services; culture and arts; agriculture; and real estate.

Separate data on investment and financing activities indicated that a total of 564 investment and financing events occurred in January 2026. The information technology sector led with 234 events, followed by the production and manufacturing sector with 154 events. Other sectors with notable activity included enterprise services, healthcare, the electronic information industry, materials, and automotive transportation. Geographically, Shanghai recorded the highest number of financing events at 107, followed by Guangdong with 95 events.