The economic volume of Guangdong province ranked first in the country in the first three quarters of 2026, with its regional GDP reaching over 11.1 trillion yuan ($1.67 trillion).

That volume represents a year-on-year increase of 4.6 percent, or 0.1 percentage points higher than in the first half, the Guangdong Bureau of Statistics reported on Friday.

It was also the first time since the third quarter of 2021 that Guangdong had matched the national growth rate. It was the fastest growth rate for the same period in five years.

Since the third quarter of this year, the growth rates of Guangdong's agriculture, industry, consumption, imports, exports and residents' income have all accelerated compared with the first half.

The industrial sector, emerging financial industry and information services were at the core of the province's economic growth, jointly contributing more than 70 percent to its economic growth.

The wave of artificial intelligence has driven rapid expansion in the electronics industry, the bureau reported.

The value added by large-scale computer, communication and other electronic equipment manufacturing has maintained double-digit growth in the province.