China's Overwhelming Online Numbers

Some 829 million people use the internet in China

China's 1.3 billion population is mind-boggling large, so what about the numbers of people using the internet in the Middle Kingdom?

Here are some interesting statistics from China's Internet Network Information Centre:

- Since the end of December there were 829 million users;

Half of China's population makes online purchases

- There are 648 million who watch short videos, which is 78.2 percent of China's total internet users:

- The national internet availability rate is 59.6 percent, with 26.7 percent of internet users of 222 million living in rural areas;

- People in China spent on average 27.6 hours per week online;

- 601 million people shop online, 592 million of whom use mobile phones to make their purchases;

- 610 million people make online payments.

The numbers are staggering, particularly half of the population shopping online and using their smartphones to buy goods and services.

Almost 600 million use their mobiles to make payments

It just goes to show foreign companies are still desperate to penetrate the Chinese market, believing that if you just sell something to them for US$1 each, you'll be a multimillionaire in no time...