BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The added value of China's patent-intensive industries reached 14.3 trillion yuan (2.08 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2021, up 17.9 percent from the previous year (not excluding price factors).

 

It accounted for 12.44 percent of GDP, 0.47 percentage points higher than that of the previous year, said a statement on the website of the National Bureau of Statistics.

 

The new equipment manufacturing industry ranked first with 3.85 trillion yuan of added value, accounting for 26.9 percent of the total.

 

The information and communication technology service industry ranked second with 3.06 trillion yuan of added value, amounting to 21.4 percent of the total.

 

The information and communication technology manufacturing industry ranked third with 2.85 trillion yuan of added value, accounting for 20 percent of the total.

 

The environmental protection industry took the smallest share, with an added value of 322.8 billion yuan, accounting for 2.3 percent.

 

From the perspective of growth rate, the pharmaceutical and medical industry took the lead, climbing 40.9 percent year on year, 30.8 percentage points higher than the growth rate for the previous year.

 

The environmental protection industry and the new material manufacturing industry also achieved rapid growth compared to the previous year -- up 17.5 percent and 17.1 percent, respectively.