Number of China's Internet users reaches 854 million

(ECNS) - The number of Internet users in China hit 854 million at the end of June, up 25.98 million from six months ago, according to a report by the China Internet Network Information Center.

The increase brought the country's Internet availability rate to 61.1 percent, up 1.6 percentage points, according to the report. China still has more than 540 million people not connected online, mainly due to a lack of skill and education, and mostly in rural areas.

The report also highlighted that users of mobile Internet reached 847 million, accounting for 99.1 percent of the total Internet population, 29.84 million more than six months ago.

Internet users aged from 10 to 39 years accounted for 65.1 percent of the total, with the largest age group being 20-29, accounting for 24. 6 percent. 

The report also showed that the percentage of Internet users aged 50 and above climbed from 12.5 percent at the end of 2018 to 13.6 percent of the latest total, which shows the increasing popularity of the Internet among older members of the population. 

In the first half of the year, Chinese Internet users spent an average 27.9 hours per week online. 

As for time spent on apps, the most popular were instant messaging software, taking up 14.5 percent of online time, followed by videos, short-videos, and music, at 13.4 percent, 11.5 percent, and 10.7 percent, respectively.

China’s online shoppers numbered 639 million in June, accounting for 74.8 percent of the total Internet population, the report said.