This paper examines the distribution of per-capita output across regions in China over the 1953-93 period. The paper documents three facts during this period. First, the disparities across China's provinces in per-capita output are large relative to those observed within other countries. The evidence presented throws doubt on the view that China’s regional per-capita output disparities are largely driven by natural urban externalities. Only roughly one quarter of the observed disparities appear to be attributable to natural urban externalities. Second, China’s disparities are comparable to those observed across groups of countries in Europe and Latin America. Third, it is shown that during the 1978-91 period, the range of mobility experiences across China's provinces is half as large as that observed across countries in the world during the same period. This study suggests China’s regional disparities are large in international perspective.
