The figure falls short of the government's target of 7.5 percent. It was the first time since 1998 that China failed to meet its annual growth goal for gross domestic product (GDP).
China's GDP in 2014 was estimated at 63,646.3 billion yuan, the National Bureau of Statistics said.
The GDP of the fourth quarter grew by 1.5 percent on a quarter-on-quarter base, the announcement said.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised down its growth forecast for the Chinese economy this year by 0.3 percent to 6.8 percent.
China's investment growth has slowed and is expected to moderate further, the Washington-based IMF said in its World Economic Outlook report released on Monday (local time).
The lower growth is affecting the rest of Asia, the report said.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com