China’s fiscal spending increased 0.8% year-on-year to CNY 11.39 trillion (USD 1.59 trillion) in the first five months of 2026. Central government expenditure rose 6.5% to CNY 1.68 trillion, while local government spending edged down 0.1% to CNY 9.71 trillion, indicating that fiscal support remained largely driven by the central government. Among major spending categories, healthcare outlays recorded the strongest growth, rising 11.3%, followed by social security and employment (+6.3%), debt interest payments (+5.1%), and science and technology (+0.9%). Meanwhile, expenditure declined on agriculture, forestry and water conservancy (-11.2%), energy conservation and environmental protection (-8.8%), culture, tourism, sports and media (-7.8%), transportation (-3.8%), urban and rural communities (-2.5%), and education (-0.5%).