China's H1 2019 Internet User Base Reaches 854 Mln
CNNIC, 8/30/19
China's internet user base reached 854 mln in H1 2019, up nearly 26 mln from the end of H2 2018, among which the mobile internet user base was approximately 847 mln, up almost 30 mln from the end of H2 2018, according to data in the China Internet Network Information Center's (CNNIC) newly released H1 2019 State of the Chinese Internet Report. Internet penetration reached 61.2% in H1 2019, up 1.6 percentage points from the end of H2 2018 and up 3.5 percentage points from the end of H1 2018.
"Mobile internet users" refers to users who access the internet via mobile handsets.
The number of rural internet users in China reached approximately 225 mln by the end of H1 2019, up 3.05 mln compared to the end of H2 2018, and comprising 26.3% of China's total internet user base. The number of urban internet users in China reached approximately 630 mln by the end of H1 2019, up 22.93 mln compared to the end of H2 2018, and comprising 73.7% of China's total internet user base.
As of the end of H1 2019, China had roughly 541 mln non-internet users, of whom 37.2% were living in urban areas, and 62.8% were living in rural areas. The main reasons China's non-internet users gave for not using the internet are as detailed in the table below:
Main Reasons Cited by China's Non-Internet Users for Not Using Internet
| Reason | % of Respondents |
|---|---|
| Unfamiliar with how to use computers/internet | 44.6% |
| Unfamiliar with how to use pinyin to input Chinese characters | 36.8% |
| Do not own a computer or other internet-connected device | 15.3% |
| Too old/young | 14.2% |
| Don't have any need/interest in using the internet | 10.6% |
| Don't have time to use the internet | 9.4% |
| No internet connectivity in my area | 5.4% |
The proportion of internet users accessing the internet through mobile handsets increased to 99.1% during H1 2019, up 0.5 percentage points from the end of H2 2018, while 46.2% accessed the internet via desktop computers, 36.1% using laptops, 28.3% using tablets, and 33.1% using smart TV sets.
In H1 2019, China's internet users spent an average of 27.9 hours per person per week online, up from 27.6 hours in H2 2018 and 27.7 hours in H1 2018. This figure has increased gradually since H1 2016, when China's internet users reported spending an average of 26.5 hours per person per week online.
During Jan-Jun 2019, total mobile bandwidth consumption in China reached 55.39 bln GB, up roughly 25% from 44.47 bln GB in H2 2018 and up 107.3% from 26.63 bln GB in H1 2018.
The following are the percentages of total internet users in China who accessed various online services in H1 2019:
Top Online Applications by Number of Users - H1 2019
| Application | Users (Mln) | Penetration | HoH Penetration Change (ppts) | HoH User Growth | YoY User Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instant Messaging | 824.7 | 96.5% | 0.9 | 4.2% | 9.1% |
| Search | 694.7 | 81.3% | -0.9 | 2.0% | 5.8% |
| News | 685.9 | 80.3% | -1.1 | 1.7% | 3.5% |
| Video (incl. short video) | 758.8 | 88.8% | 1.3 | 4.7% | N/A |
| Short Video | 647.6 | 75.8% | -2.4 | -0.1% | N/A |
| Shopping | 638.8 | 74.8% | 1.2 | 4.7% | 12.3% |
| Payment | 633.1 | 74.1% | 1.6 | 5.4% | 11.3% |
| Music | 607.9 | 71.1% | 1.6 | 5.6% | 9.6% |
| Gaming | 493.6 | 57.8% | -0.6 | 2.0% | 1.7% |
| Literature | 454.5 | 53.2% | 1.1 | 5.2% | 12.0% |
| Travel Booking | 418.2 | 48.9% | -0.6 | 2.0% | 6.4% |
| Online Take-out Delivery | 421.2 | 49.3% | 0.3 | 3.7% | 15.8% |
| Online Live Broadcasting | 433.2 | 50.7% | 2.8 | 9.2% | 1.9% |
| Car Hire | 339.2 | 39.7% | -0.5 | 1.9% | 13.5% |
| Taxi Booking | 336.6 | 39.4% | -0.4 | 2.0% | -2.8% |
| Education | 232.5 | 27.2% | 2.9 | 15.5% | 35.3% |
| Internet Wealth Management | 169.7 | 19.9% | 1.6 | 12.1% | 0.7% |
The following are the percentages of total mobile internet users in China who accessed various categories of mobile service in H1 2019, and is a sub-set of the table above:
Top Mobile Service Categories by Number of Users - H1 2019
| Application | Users (Mln) | Penetration | HoH Penetration Change (ppts) | HoH User Growth | YoY User Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Instant Messaging | 820.7 | 96.9% | 1.4 | 5.2% | 9.4% |
| Mobile Search | 662.0 | 78.2% | -1.8 | 1.2% | 3.9% |
| Mobile News | 660.2 | 78.0% | -1.9 | 1.1% | 4.6% |
| Mobile Shopping | 621.8 | 73.4% | 0.9 | 5.1% | 11.6% |
| Mobile Payment | 621.3 | 73.4% | 2.0 | 6.5% | 9.7% |
| Mobile Music | 585.0 | 69.1% | 1.4 | 5.8% | 11.8% |
| Mobile Games | 467.6 | 55.2% | -1.0 | 1.9% | 2.0% |
| Mobile Literature | 435.4 | 51.4% | 1.2 | 6.2% | 14.4% |
| Mobile Take-Out Delivery | 417.4 | 49.3% | 0.7 | 5.1% | 21.5% |
| Mobile Online Education | 199.5 | 23.6% | -0.2 | 2.7% | 40.3% |
Keywords: H1 2019 wireless online short video online video e-commerce online payment online music online gaming online literature online travel food O2O interactive video car hire app taxi booking app financial services mobile information service online information service mobile education live streaming Internet mobile literature penetration online education instant messaging mobile payment mobile music mobile search CNNIC Internet users mobile Internet mobile internet users m-commerce online search mobile IM mobile gaming national statistics
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