The numbers making news around China during the week of September 23, 2013.
1/6
Proportion of China’s population that was “floating” in 2012 – meaning they lived and worked away from their hometown. Global Times
80 billion yuan
Amount China will invest in oil and gas exploration this year. Reuters
$120,000 to $200,000
Cost for basic “surrogacy packages” that companies are offering Chinese parents who want American surrogate mothers to give birth to their baby in the U.S. Reuters
80 percent
Proportion of the animals that enter China’s taxidermy market that come from zoos. Quartz
11.6 percent
Proportion of Chinese who were diabetic in 2010 – up from 1 percent in 1980. The Atlantic
26 percent
Amount that municipal residential land deals in China, measured by area, rose in the first eight months of the year from the same period in 2012 – a sign that local officials are still relying heavily on revenue from land sales to repay debt. Bloomberg
$1.01 trillion
Amount of unofficial untracked “gray income” in China – amounting to 12 percent of the nation’s GDP. International Business Times
107 million tons
Amount of processed packaged food China is expected to consume in 2015, which will surpass the United States’ 102 million tons. The Atlantic