By Yang Xiuna, Research Team on “The General Approach and Strategic Focus on Ecological Protection and High-Quality Development of the Yellow River Basin”, Department of Development Strategy and Regional Economy, DRC

Research Report, No.208, 2021 (Total 6273) 2021-7-27

Abstract: With the social and economic development of the Yellow River Basin in recent years, certain progress has been made by the local governments in terms of livelihood governance. However, it is still below the national average level and lags behind the requirements to achieve the high-quality development goals. For instance, the per capita income and consumption of residents in the Yellow River Basin are lower than the national average; the regional development remains uneven; the gaps between the upper, middle and lower reaches and different provinces are yet to be narrowed. As China’ overall economic development has entered a state of new normal, the growth rates of both the residential income and consumption expenditure in the Yellow River Basin are gradually declining. The income and expenditure pressures on rural residents are much greater than those on the urban families. Among them, the rural residents in the upstream areas are facing the greatest income and expenditure pressures with little savings and relatively weak capabilities to prevent risks and external shocks. Although some major livelihood issues including education, medical and elderly care services in the Yellow River Basin have been significantly solved, work still needs to be done to address the imbalanced and inadequate development.

Keywords: the Yellow River Basin, livelihood issue, income and consumption, education, medical and elderly care services