Analysis of natural resource total factor productivity in China’s eastern coastal region based on integrating static SBM-DEA with multi-frontier decomposition

Identifying the sources of natural resource total factor productivity (NTFP) heterogeneity across regions is essential for informing marine economy policy. This paper integrates a static SBM−DEA model that accounts for undesirable outputs with a three−tier multi−frontier decomposition to analyze NTFP in China’s eastern coastal region. Using a province-year panel for 31 Chinese provinces during 2008–2020, constructed from indicators aggregated from natural-resource-dependent industries, we measure NTFP and decompose efficiency gaps into three components: regional technology disparities (SI), provincial heterogeneity (RI), and intra−provincial inefficiencies (MI). The results reveal that the eastern coastal region maintains a persistent NTFP advantage, approximately 2.3 to 2.8 times higher than inland areas, driven by marine industrial agglomeration, port−based logistics, and marine technological innovation. Within the coastal region, a three−echelon structure emerges: the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta define the national efficiency frontier; whereas Hainan and Guangxi lag behind mainly because of severe intra-provincial efficiency losses captured by the MI index. Significant positive spatial agglomeration of NTFP is observed, with high-efficiency clusters mainly concentrated in leading coastal provinces. However, the cross-provincial productivity spillover effect does not pass statistical significance tests, and the absolute NTFP gap between coastal and inland areas remains substantial. The proposed framework provides a replicable decision support tool for marine economy and resource management, enabling policymakers to identify the exact sources of regional inefficiency and design targeted, echelon-based strategies. This study supports data-driven governance of natural and marine resources under China’s dual-carbon goals, contributing to related research in marine economy management.