Internet users in China top 1.051 billion
Beijing, Aug 31 (EFE).- The number of internet users in China has reached 1.051 billion, 40 million more than a year ago, according to a report by the country’s Internet Network Information Center cited Wednesday by state news outlets.
The internet penetration rate among China’s 1.4 billion population was 74.4 percent at the end of June, representing a growth of 3.2 percentage points compared to last year, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
However, penetration in rural areas is 58.8 percent, up 1.2 points compared to the end of 2021.
Chinese netizens spend an average of 29.5 hours online each week, one hour more than at the end of 2021, according to the report.
Among devices, mobile phones dominate: 99.6 percent of users access the internet exclusively or partially through their smartphones.
The use of desktop computers, laptops, televisions and tablets to connect comes to 33.3 percent, 32.6 percent, 26.7 percent, and 27.6 percent of users, respectively.
Instant messaging and short-video mobile applications, among which Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – and Kuaishou stand out, are the most popular among internet users, with 97.7 percent and 91.5 percent, respectively, using them.
The Chinese technology sector has been facing greater regulatory scrutiny from the authorities for more than a year, which has resulted in fines to some of its large companies for monopolistic practices and an alleged abuse of user data that would have endangered national security, according to the agencies. EFE
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