Tibet's 2018 GDP growth calculated at 9.1 percent

LHASA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- GDP in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region grew by 9.1 percent in 2018, down from the previous estimate of 10 percent but still among the nation's fastest.

Tibet's GDP was calculated 147.76 billion yuan (22 billion U.S. dollars) last year, said the National Bureau of Statistics and the autonomous region's statistics bureau in a joint report.

The regional government work report released last month estimated Tibet's GDP growth at 10 percent in 2018 following over two decades of double-digit GDP growth.

The adjusted figure now puts Tibet on par with Guizhou, which also estimated its GDP growth last year as 9.1 percent, as the fastest-growing provincial-level regions.

China's economy grew 6.6 percent in 2018, above the official target of around 6.5 percent.

Sonam Tashi, head of the regional statistics bureau, said Tibet's growth rates of per capita disposable incomes for rural and urban residents and consumer goods retail sales were all the highest in China.

The official said Tibet was optimizing its economic structure, as evidenced by a 18.6-percent rise in electricity consumption last year. Tourism is also rising as a pillar industry.