Section
Data and the world
Open datasets, charted — global flows, and what they look like up close in one place.
- Provincial GDP summed against the national figure 2026-10-11·11 min read
Add up China's 31 provincial GDP figures and the total does not match the national one. The gap is computable, and the statistics office explains it.
- One commodity, two customs records 2026-10-09·9 min read
The same lithium-ion battery shipments counted by the exporter and by the importer. The money nearly matches. The kilograms do not.
- China's parcel count and the world's, side by side 2026-10-09·9 min read
China's express volume and the world's e-commerce parcel totals measure different things. A year-by-year table with a source and a date on every number.
- Two urbanisation rates for one country 2026-10-09·9 min read
The statistics office says 67.89 per cent of China lives in a town or city; the World Bank says 66.34. Neither answers my question about one county.