Mexico city, April 26 (IANS): Tibet has maintained double-digit economic growth annually for the past 23 years, becoming one of China's fastest growing areas, said Tibetan legislator Qizhala here.

"Tibet's gross domestic product has grown from 130 million yuan ($19.98 million) in 1951 to 102 billion yuan ($15.68 billion) in 2015," Xinhua news agency quoted Qizhala, secretary of the Communist Party of China Lhasa Municipal Committee, as saying on Monday.

He made the remarks during a conference named "Tibet Today" organised by the economics department of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Qizhala said: "After many years of efforts, Tibet is currently seeing unprecedented development" and great progress in its economic growth and society.

Tibet has built a modern educational system, and its healthcare system has seen the average life expectancy rise in the region, he added.

Qizhala also said that the numbers of the emblematic Tibetan antelopes were up from around 70,000 in 1995 to over 200,000 now, and the black-necked cranes from 3,000 to 7,000 in the same period.

Tibet's location allows it to engage in many exchanges with South Asia, Qizhala said, adding that China's rise to become the second-largest economy has brought the region more opportunities for economic growth.