Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region saw its gross domestic product surge at an annual rate of 19.8 percent to reach 11.5 billion yuan (1.8 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year, the region's local statistics bureau said.

The region's fixed asset investments totalled 2 billion yuan in the first three months of 2011, up 55 percent year-on-year, according to the bureau. Industrial output reached 409 million yuan, up 43.9 percent, the bureau said.

The per capita disposal income of the region's urban residents was 3,855 yuan in the first quarter, up 10.3 percent from a year earlier.

In addition, the per capita cash income of farmers and herdsmen was 660 yuan, an increase of 17.1 percent.