Ning Jizhe

Ning Jizhe (Chinese: 宁吉喆; pinyin: Níng jízhé; born December 1956) is a Chinese economist and senior official currently serving as the director of the National Bureau of Statistics of China and deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission (minister-level rank).

Ning was born in Hefei, Anhui province, and traces his ancestry to Xia County, Shanxi province. During the late stages of the Cultural Revolution, Ning worked as a production team leader at a local commune. After economics reforms began in 1978, Ning went back to school, studying engineering at the Hefei University of Technology. After spending a year working as a technician, he began pursuing a master's degree in Renmin University.

Ning joined the Communist Party of China in June 1985. He earned his doctorate in economics in 1988, after which he joined the National Planning Commission, a central economic planning agency. In November 1998, he joined the planning department of the National Development and Reform Commission. Beginning in 2001, Ning began specializing in the development strategy of China's far western regions. In April 2007, he joined the State Council Research Office, rising to become its director in August 2013. In August 2015, Ning was transferred laterally back to the NDRC, heading up work in economic planning and the use of foreign capital. In March 2016, he also took over the role of the Director of the National Bureau of Statistics, whose previous director, Wang Bao'an, had been sacked for corruption.