GUANGZHOU -- The per capita GDP for the residents of south China's Guangdong province is expected to reach $16,887 in 2020, according to a statement released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Tuesday.

By 2020, Guangdong will become a high-income province with an urbanization rate of 76 percent, according to a statement released as part of a book-launching ceremony held in Beijing.

The book, titled "Guangdong's Experience: Avoiding the 'Middle Income Trap'," is based on a study carried out by the academy, according to Guangdong provincial government officials.

The province's per capita GDP was $7,819 in 2011, according to the provincial statistics bureau.