The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA)’s gross domestic product (GDP) topped 7.2 trillion yuan (US$1 trillion) between January and June 2025, according to official data from the megalopolis’ nine mainland cities and two SARs – aggregated by Ming Pao.
As the GBA city with by far the smallest population, Macao ranked tenth in first-half GDP – contributing almost 178 billion yuan (US$24.8 billion). The top-producing cities were Shenzhen (1.83 trillion yuan, US$255 billion), Guangzhou (1.51 trillion yuan, US$210 billion) and Hong Kong (1.40 trillion yuan, US$195 billion). The mainland city of Zhaoqing produced the least GDP for the period.
Shenzhen, the frontrunner, saw particularly strong growth in its technology sector. The city’s production of civilian drones, industrial robots and 3D printing equipment all increased significantly from the previous year, at rates of 59 percent, 38 percent and 35.8 percent respectively.
[See more: Macao’s economy grew by 2.8 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2025]
Shenzhen’s technological surge comes off the back of increasing research and development investment, which strengthened by 21.7 percent compared with 2024.
Also contributing were the GBA’s mainland cities’ high volumes of trade from January to June, with cumulative imports and exports totalling 5.2 trillion yuan (around US$724 billion), according to the People’s Daily.
The economy of the GBA as a whole increased by 5 percent year-on-year during the first half of 2025, while mainland China’s grew by 5.2 percent.
