The economy of Chongqing, China, has developed rapidly since it was separated from the Sichuan and became a centrally-administered municipality in 1997. In 2019, it was the sixth-largest Chinese city economy and ranked as China's third-largest municipal economy. In China's overall layout, Chongqing is also important for connecting China's underdeveloped western region with its more advanced eastern region, as well as promoting the economy of the mid-lower reaches of Yangtze river and the central western region.