Compilation and application of a comprehensive ocean economy input-output table: the case of China

The emergence of new ocean industries driven by technological innovation creates an urgent need for updated ocean economic statistical frameworks. The ocean economy refers to the aggregate of all industrial activities involved in the development, utilization, and protection of the ocean, as well as the activities associated with them. However, the industrial classification used in current ocean input-output tables remains incomplete, which impedes comprehensive analysis and cross-national comparisons. To address this, we propose a compilation framework for a comprehensive ocean economy input-output table, which adopts multiple stripping coefficients and includes 19 ocean economy industries and 42 non-ocean industries. Applying this framework to China, we find that its ocean economy underwent structural transformation from 2012 to 2020. Development increasingly focuses on core and support industries, transitioning from scale-driven expansion to quality- and efficiency-oriented growth. In addition, the comprehensive ocean economy has evolved from a mere resource supplier into a key sector with bidirectional driving effects on the national economy. Our work provides a foundational dataset and a replicable framework, enabling robust, evidence-based comparative studies in global ocean research.