China's Online Population Grew 3.8% in First Half, Official Data Shows
Chen Juan
DATE:  Aug 21 2018
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
China's Online Population Grew 3.8% in First Half, Official Data Shows China's Online Population Grew 3.8% in First Half, Official Data Shows

(Yicai Global) Aug. 21 -- The number of Chinese residents with internet access rose 3.8 percent over the first half, leaping to 802 million users or 57.7 percent of the population, according to the latest Internet Development in China report published by the China Internet Network Information Center.

Below are other key takeaways from the report, which covered the first half of 2018. All figures are as of the end of June.

China had 802 million internet users, nearly 30 million, or 3.8 percent, more than at the end of last year to give a national penetration rate of 57.7 percent.

The number of mobile internet users rose 35.1 million, or 4.7 percent, from the end of 2017 to 788 million.

Mobile internet users made up 98.3 percent of all internet users, up 0.8 point.

The share of users accessing the internet via desktop computers fell 4.1 point to 48.9 percent, while the share of those using laptops fell 1.3 point to 34.5 percent.

Some 29.7 percent of users access the web via their television, a share 1.5 points greater than six months earlier.

Rural internet users climbed 1 percent to 211 million, or 26.3 percent of the total. Urban users climbed 4.9 percent to 591 million.

Some 663 million, or 82.7 percent of all users, went online to access the news. Some 631 million read the news via their mobile phones, 1.9 percent more than the end of last year to make up four fifths of all mobile internet users.

Seventy one percent of all web users went shopping online -- 569 million, or 6.7 percent, more than six months earlier. The number of people using their smartphones to shop jumped 10.2 percent to 557 million.

Some 364 million people used the internet to order takeout, up 6 percent. The number using smartphones to do this leapt 6.6 percent to 344 million.

Online payment users increased 7.1 percent to 569 million, while 566 million used their smartphone to make payments.

Live-streaming users climbed almost 3 million to 425 million, or 53 percent of all users, a share 1.7 percentage points smaller than the end of 2017.

Shared-bike users grew more than 24 million to 245 million total, making up more than 30 percent of all web users.

There were more than 346 ride-hailing users, almost 60 million, or 20.8 percent, more than six months earlier. Those looking for private taxis tallied 299 million, up 26.5 percent.

Editor: James Boynton

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Keywords:   Internet Development In China,China Internet Network Information Center