China’s internet users near 1.1 billion, driven by short videos and mobile payments

In the first half of 2024, more than a third of China’s new internet users were drawn to short video apps, a government survey shows

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China’s internet population is approaching 1.1 billion. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00am, 30 Aug 2024

China’s internet users approached 1.1 billion at the end of June, up 7.42 million from December, as a plethora of online entertainment options lured the young and old into joining the world’s largest online population, the latest government figures showed.

Around 78 per cent of mainland Chinese citizens were connected to the internet as of June, according to a report released on Thursday by the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC), a state agency. Over 37 per cent of new internet users were drawn to short video apps, the report said.

Entertainment and social needs were the main drivers of internet usage in China. Some 95 per cent of web users in the country had viewed short videos, which are available on popular platforms, including ByteDance’s Douyin, its rival Kuaishou, as well as Tencent Holdings’ multipurpose app WeChat.

Short dramas, with each episode typically a few minutes long, were watched by over 52 per cent of internet users, the survey showed. As the sector gains popularity, Chinese authorities have been tightening their scrutiny. Since June, all short dramas in the country have been required to go through production licensing and content reviews before being aired.

Most of those who joined the internet in the first half of this year were between the ages of 10 and 19 years old, accounting for 49 per cent of the total, as well as elderly people aged 50 or above, accounting for 36 per cent.

The CNNIC, which has been conducting twice-yearly surveys of the nation’s internet sector since 1997, recorded a slowdown in user growth, as internet penetration neared saturation. In the same period last year, China added 11.09 million web users.