Guangdong has reached the level of a developed country, but internal regional disparities remain a serious problem.

Currently, Guangdong and Fujian, two leading economies on China’s southern coast, have officially joined the group of developed provinces. However, beneath this general characterization lies a complex picture of internal disparities. If Guangdong is considered as a whole, its GDP has already surpassed that of Russia and South Korea, approaching the ranks of global economic giants. But the reality is that citizens’ prosperity is very unevenly distributed across the territory.

Economic Geography of Guangdong: From Wealthy Center to Depressed Periphery

Guangdong traditionally divides into four major economic zones, which differ drastically in development level. The Pearl River Delta, the leader of this hierarchy, accounts for most of the province’s wealth. This dynamic region includes Guangzhou and Shenzhen—cities that have become symbols of China’s reform and openness. Foshan, Dongguan, and Zhuhai complement this favored zone of prosperity.

On the western edge of Guangdong, bordering Guangxi Province, the economy remains typical, characterized by agricultural specialization and slower industrial development. The northern region, neighboring Jiangxi Province, although receiving some impulses from overall economic growth, also features relatively modest indicators.

The situation on the eastern side—specifically in the Chaozhou region—is particularly interesting. This area is renowned for its entrepreneurial tradition. Many successful entrepreneurs and billionaires originate here. But there is a paradox: most of these successful businesspeople migrated to Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, where they concentrated their wealth. In the Chaozhou district itself, ordinary families still have incomes far below the national standard of developed regions.

GDP vs. Purchasing Power: Why Quantity Does Not Equal Quality

On a macroeconomic level, the figures are impressive. Guangdong’s GDP has surpassed Russia and South Korea. In ten years, experts do not rule out the possibility of overtaking Japan and Germany in absolute terms. At the same time, Fujian’s GDP is significantly smaller—mainly because the province’s population is just over 40 million, while Guangdong’s population is 1.27 billion, nearly three times larger.

This is where the main development problem lies. When you divide the total wealth of the province by its population, the picture becomes less optimistic. Per capita, Guangdong still lags noticeably behind traditional developed countries, including the USA, the UK, France, Germany, and Japan.

However, it is worth noting that in terms of the standard of living of ordinary people, Guangdong has already surpassed so-called “average developed countries”—such as Poland and Greece. Global integration of food markets has contributed to this. Cheap grains, vegetables, and fruits from all over China, Southeast Asia, and Chile are massively exported to the wealthiest regions of the country, significantly increasing the purchasing power of the local population.

Global Convergence and Realistic Perspectives

A few decades ago, 30 years back, citizens of Guangdong and Fujian could hardly imagine that their hometowns would undergo such an economic transformation. The digital revolution changed everything. With the spread of the global Internet, Chinese people gained the ability to compare their standard of living with ordinary people in Europe and America, and it turned out that this is an achievable goal everywhere, not an unattainable elite.

If China continues to make efforts over the next two decades, it is expected to approach the quality of life standards of Japan, South Korea, the UK, France, and Germany. Globally, China has already achieved a victory—its total GDP has far outpaced developed nations. The next milestone is reaching high income per capita, and this will be built primarily on the multi-million human potential that Western countries do not possess.