Tibet has seen a substantial improvement in the living standard of its rural and urban residents since its peaceful liberation in 1951, statistics showed.

The per capita gross domestic product (GDP) surged from 142 yuan (about 21.97 U.S. dollars) in 1959 to 17,319 yuan in 2010, according to statistics provided at an ongoing exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

The rural per capita net income in Tibet rose to 4,139 yuan in 2010, up 99.2 percent from 2,078 yuan in 2005, while its urban per capita disposable income reached 14,980 yuan in 2010, up 78.1 percent from 8,411 yuan in 2005, the figures showed.

Since Tibet's liberation, the central government has spent almost 40.7 billion yuan to develop the region's educational system.

Tibet's illiteracy rate now stands at 1.2 percent, a far cry from its pre-liberation rate of 95 percent. In 2010, the enrollment rate of primary school-aged children in Tibet stood at 99.2 percent.

Progress has also been made in the development of Tibet's health and medical care system.

According to the statistics, Tibet's infant mortality rate dropped from 5,000 per 100,000 births some 60 years ago to 174.78 per 100,000 births in 2010. Meanwhile, the neonatal mortality rate decreased from the pre-liberation rate of 430 per 1,000 births to 20.7 per 1,000 births in 2010.

Tibet's population, which stood at 1.14 million some 60 years ago, rose to 3 million by the end of last year.

The exhibition is being held in Beijing's Cultural Palace of Nationalities. Entry to the exhibition is free and the exhibition is running from June 15 to July 8.