LHASA, Jan. 23 -- The gross domestic product (GDP) of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region expanded 9.5 percent year on year in 2023, according to the regional statistics bureau on Tuesday.

Its GDP stood at nearly 239.3 billion yuan (about 33.6 billion U.S. dollars) last year, the bureau said, adding that the growth rates of the region's major economic indicators, including per capita disposable income, fixed asset investment, and total retail sales of consumer goods, all ranked first in the country.

Xizang's economic structure continued to optimize. The added value of the service sector accounted for 54.1 percent of the regional GDP and contributed a 57.6-percent share to economic growth.

Investment in fixed assets also grew rapidly last year, with investment in infrastructure up by 34.8 percent and investment in areas related to people's livelihoods up by 31.8 percent.