Sustainable Development and Transformative Change in Tibet, China, from 1951 to 2021

The Tibet Autonomous Region (Tibet) has undergone significant economic development, poverty alleviation, and improvements in social indicators like life expectancy and healthcare over the past seventy years since its establishment within the People’s Republic of China in 1951, particularly since the 1980s. This article tracks 16 social, economic, and ecological indicators for the past several decades, as well as levels of economic assistance provided to Tibet by other Chinese provinces and the Chinese central government. The results show that since 1951, Tibet has developed rapidly, with nearly all the socioeconomic indicators improved, and the speed of change has been much faster than other provinces in China. Environmental indicators also show a significant improvement regarding biodiversity conservation and tree coverage. However, despite progress in many aspects within Tibet, indicators such as the illiteracy rate and uneven development between urban and rural areas still lag significantly behind the national average. This report provides crucial insights into Tibet’s rapid development and existing disparities, aiming to guide targeted governmental interventions for reducing inequality and driving transformative change.