BEIJING, Jan. 19 -- China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5 percent year on year in 2025, meeting the annual target of around 5 percent, official data showed Monday.

China's GDP reached a record of 140.1879 trillion yuan (about 20.01 trillion U.S. dollars) last year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed.

In the fourth quarter, the economy expanded 4.5 percent from a year earlier and grew 1.2 percent from the previous quarter, the NBS said.

Despite a complex domestic and external environment, the economy advanced under pressure, achieving fresh progress in high-quality development, the NBS noted.

It added that the main goals and tasks for economic and social development were fully achieved in 2025, bringing the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) to a successful conclusion.

Facing abrupt changes in the external environment and mounting domestic difficulties and challenges, China adopted more proactive and effective macro policies, which helped offset adverse external shocks and stabilize the foundation for development amid headwinds, Kang Yi, head of the NBS, told a press conference.

"For a super-large economy like China, achieving such stable development is by no means easy amid intertwined risks and challenges," Kang said.