East China's Zhejiang Province reported 16,294 yuan (2,024.5 U.S. dollars) in per capita disposable income in 2005, up 12 percent year-on-year, according to the provincial bureau of statistics.

The figure ranked third among all the 31 Chinese mainland provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in the past year, according to the bureau.

Zhejiang has taken the third place on the Chinese mainland for five straight years in per capita disposable income.

Meanwhile, Zhejiang's per capita spending also continued to increase last year, with an annual growth of 15.2 percent to 12,254 yuan (1531.7 U.S. dollars). The province ranked third in this regard in China and overtook the economic engine of southern Guangdong Province for the first time, which reported 11,810 yuan in per capita spending last year.

Shanghai and Beijing were the top two in terms of per capita disposable income and spending last year, statistics showed.

Shanghai reported 18,645 yuan in per capita disposable income and 13,773 yuan in per capita spending for 2005, ranking first in the Chinese mainland.

The Chinese capital's per capita disposable income and spending stood at 17,653 yuan and 13,224 yuan, respectively, in 2005, ranking the second.

Source: Xinhua