TITLE:
The Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Economic Growth Rates in Henan Province
AUTHORS:
Kaiguang Zhang, Yanna Zhang, Luxi Gu, Hongling Meng
KEYWORDS:
Economic Growth Rate, Logistic Regression Model, Cold and Hot Spot Analysis, Semivariogram, Economic Radiation, Interpolation Analysis, Henan Province
JOURNAL NAME:
Chinese Studies,
Vol.15 No.2,
April
29,
2026
ABSTRACT: The economic growth rate is a core indicator for measuring the pace of regional economic growth, reflecting dynamic economic changes over a specific period and serving as a critical foundation for macroeconomic analysis and policy formulation. Based on the 2009-2025 economic statistical data of counties (districts) in Henan Province, China, this paper first applies the logistic economic growth regression model to calculate the economic growth rate of each research unit, then analyzes the overall spatial pattern of economic growth rates, identifies the distribution of economic growth hot and cold spots, examines the radiation characteristics of economic growth through semivariogram analysis, and further explores the spatial distribution features of economic growth rates via Kriging interpolation analysis. The research results show that there are significant disparities in the county-level economic growth rate, with the coefficient of variation (ratio of standard deviation to mean) standing at 0.44. Geographically, northeastern Henan demonstrates relatively higher economic growth rates, and significant positive correlation exists between economic growth rate and economic aggregate. In terms of spatial agglomeration, the economic growth rate forms two major hot spot agglomerations centered on the urban built-up areas of Zhengzhou and Luoyang, as well as two major cold spot agglomerations—one centered on Anyang’s urban built-up area, and the other distributed zonally along the boundary of China’s second and third topographic steps. Regions with relatively high economic growth rates exert an outward radiation effect with a linear decreasing trend, with a radiation radius of approximately 254.10 km, and no significant correlation is observed between radiation intensity and topographic features. Specifically, interpolation analysis reveals that high-speed, medium-speed, and low-speed economic growth regions in the province account for 34.56%, 56.60%, and 8.84% of the total administrative area, respectively.