BEIJING — China's overall production safety saw stable improvement in 2019, with declines in both the number of accidents and the number of deaths, official data showed.

In 2019, the number of production-related accidents fell by 18.3 percent year-on-year while the number of deaths declined by 17.1 percent, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

The country also witnessed declines in the numbers of major accidents and extremely serious accidents.

Compared with the average reading in recent five years, the direct economic loss as a percentage of GDP fell by 24 percent last year.

China has strengthened efforts for disaster relief and emergency support, said the ministry.