As Chinese are earning more than ever before, they have more to spend, apparently more than the country can keep up with. According to data released yesterday by the National Bureau of Statistics, in some Chinese cities during the first quarter of 2015, disposable income grew faster than gross domestic product.

During the first quarter, average disposable income in Beijing increased 8.4 percent from last year to a total of 13,503 yuan. By comparison, the GDP of Beijing increased by only 6.8 percent during the same period. In Hebei, the average disposable income rose 9 percent in the first quarter to 6,698 yuan, while its GDP increased by only 6.2 percent.

The per capita urban disposable income for the first quarter averaged 8,572 yuan in China, up 8.3 percent from the year prior. Meanwhile, the expected GDP growth rate for the new year dropped 6.8 percent to a 24-year low of 7.4 percent.

Shanghai continues to be China’s richest city with disposable income in the first quarter averaging 14,153 yuan (US$2,280), followed by Beijing and the Province of Jiangsu.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there remains significant economic disparity between urban and rural China. While urban disposable income increased by 6.8 percent, rural areas saw an increase of just over 2 percent during the same period.

The regions with the lowest disposable incomes during the first quarter are Qinghai at 6,212 yuan and Gansu provinces at 6,258 followed by the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region at 6,272 yuan.