Shandong Province ranked sixth in overall competitiveness in China's provincial economy during "the Eleventh Five-Year plan." Published by the Social Sciences Academic Press (China), the book combined statistical information of 31 provinces and municipalities, and made the list according to the evaluation system of the provincial economic competitiveness index and a mathematical model.

All the information is from the China Statistical Yearbook from 2006 to 2010, and includes information from every department and statistical bulletin. Major indicators include macro economic competitiveness, industrial competitiveness, sustainable development capacity and regional financial capacity.

The top 10 provinces and cities in the overall competitiveness in China's provincial economy were: Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, Shandong, Tianjin, Liaoning, Fujian and Hubei.