Currently China has 904 million Internet users, which is equal to 65% of the population. The unique thing about the usage of Internet in China is that 99.1% of total Chinese internet use is through mobile instead of laptop or desktop. Currently there are 897 million mobile users in China. Hence, the future growth of Internet use in China will be largely dependent upon the development of Apps, E-commerce platforms, and mini-programs in particular.
Young people have the biggest share among Internet users. They occupy around 60 percent of all Internet users.
Data Source: CNNIC 45th Statistical Report on Internet Development in China, Internet users’ age distribution
How do Chinese netizens spend their time?
Data Source: CNNIC 45thStatistical Report on Internet Development in China, analysis by daxue consulting
In total, Chinese internet users spend about a quarter of their time online watching videos. This is no surprise considering the surge in short-video apps in China, like Douyin and Xigua.
Messaging and socializing comes second, occupying nearly 20% of Chinese netizens’ time online. WeChat is a necessity for life in China, and not only plays an important role in communicating with friends and family, but also for telecommuting and maintaining business relationships, effectively replacing the need for email in China.
Music and audio use is also high. Podcasts in China are now becoming popular, which has been conducive to the rise of the platforms Ximalaya and Dedao.
Lastly, gaming is popular among internet users in China, which is mostly due to the rise in mobile games (over laptop of console games). WeChat mini-games bring the gaming industry to a wider range of netizens, meaning mobile games will no longer be for traditional ‘gamers’.
Quick facts about Chinese netizens
- The gender ratio is relatively split, with 51.9% being male and 48.1% female, Chinese netizens’ gender are reflective of the general population.
- The average Chinese person is online 30.8 hours a week, as of 2020.
- The Chinese silver generation are significant. In contrast to the west, where many elderly may be resistant to using new technology, Chinese elderly actually embrace technology quite well. There is a number of apps catering towards Chinese elderly, such as the mini-program Xiaoniangao.
To learn more about internet users in China, contact our project team at dx@daxueconsulting.com!
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