Quality Analysis and Regional Differences of the Digital Economy in China’s Provinces

This paper employs factor analysis to construct a comprehensive assessment system for the digital economy, providing a thorough evaluation of the digital economy development in China's 30 provinces and cities. The research reveals the regional disparities in China's digital economy development, with the east-ern region leading, the central region in the middle, and the western and north-eastern regions developing relatively slowly. Key factors influencing the level of digital economy development include the level of information technol-ogy de-velopment, technological innovation and R&D, application of informati-zation, and e-commerce development, as well as communication infrastructure and services. Cluster analysis further categorizes the provinces into five groups, of-fering valuable insights for policymakers and businesses. Based on these find-ings, the paper suggests strengthening digital infrastructure construction, pro-moting industrial digital transformation, enhancing digital innovation, and deepening regional cooperation to foster balanced development of China's digi-tal economy.