Wuxi National Hi-Tech District (WND), founded in 1992, was given administrative status and named Xinwu District in February, 2016. With a total area of 220 square kilometers and a population of 728,500 people, WND has been the economic engine behind the opening-up of Wuxi. According to the 2024 Comprehensive Evaluation Result of National High-Tech Zones released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, it ranked 17th out of 178 national zones, representing a rise of one spot over the previous evaluation and the fifth time in a row the zone's ranking has risen.