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As of December 2013, China had 618 million Internet users, with a total of 53.58 million new ones. The Internet penetration rate reached 45.8%, up by 3.7 percentage points over the previous year. Growth of the population of Internet users continued to slow down.
Figure 1: Number of Netizens and Internet Penetration Rate in China
The growth of the size of Internet users in China in recent years is mainly attributed to the following four factors: Firstly, the Chinese government has formulated a series of policies and principles in the informatization field, and continuously strengthened construction of basic network facilities, providing good basic network conditions for Internet access. Secondly, operators and major manufacturers have actively facilitated the development of Internet applications, sped up penetration of Internet applications into social life, such as taking a taxi and making a payment, better combined online applications with offline applications, and attracted more people to use the Internet. Thirdly, traditional media and new media have strengthened interaction, increasing the awareness of the entire society about the Internet, and boosting more people to use the Internet. Fourthly, the social networking of network applications and the convenience of instant messaging have expanded the impact of Internet users on non-Internet users while increasing Internet user stickiness, and facilitated non-Internet users to become Internet users. All these factors have jointly boosted the growth of Internet users, especially the continuous increase of mobile phone Internet users. Of the new Internet users in 2013, up to 73.3% surfed the Internet through their mobile phones, a percentage far higher than that of the netizens using other devices, which means mobile phones are still the main driving force of the growth of Internet users in China.
With the increasing saturation of the Internet penetration, the theme of Internet development in China has transformed from “increase of penetration” to “deepened degree of usage”. The policies and environmental changes in recent years have also provided a strong guarantee for the depth of usage. Firstly, the national guaranteeing policy has been issued. In 2013, the State Council issued Some Comments of the State Council on Facilitating Information Consumption and Expanding Domestic Demand, affirming the role of Internet in the overall economy and society. Secondly, the Internet has better combined itself with traditional economy, such as its good applications in shopping, logistics, payment or even finance. Thirdly, Internet applications have led to brand new social lifestyles, exerting a significant influence on people's lives.
Figure 2: Devices Used by Newly Added Netizens to Access the Internet in China, 2013
The analysis of non-netizens' future Internet access intention shows that in 2013, 11.9% of non-Internet users said they would definitely or probably surf the Internet in the coming six months, which is similar to the figure by the end of 2012, and indicates that potential Internet users with Internet access willingness among non-Internet users have gradually turned themselves into Internet users; 13.7% of non-Internet users said they were not sure whether they would surf the Internet in the future, a figure slightly higher than that at the end of 2012. The percentage of those who would definitely not or probably not surf the Internet dropped slightly, which indicates that those users who have no Internet access willingness among non-Internet users have begun to have such willingness, and these people will also become the important source of the growth of Internet users in the next phase.
Figure 3: Future Internet Access Willingness of Non-netizens in China
Gradual improvement of Internet infrastructure, convenience of network access and decrease of Internet terminal costs have kept reducing the factors which hinder non-Internet users from surfing the Internet, such as network devices and conditions, while the percentage of the factors of “too old or too young” and “having no knowledge of computers and networks” have kept increasing. This indicates, on the one hand, that it will be more difficult for increasing Internet penetration in the future, and the population susceptible to transformation have become increasingly saturate, and on the other hand, that the ability to use ICT (information and communications technology) is still the focus of further Internet penetration, and more efforts should be put into Internet education and popularization in the future.
Surfing the Internet with mobile phones will still be the important factor that boosts the growth of Internet users in China. Mobile phones have a lower technical threshold compared with computers, and are an important way for the Internet to penetrate into rural areas and the low-income population. In the course of popularization of surfing the Internet with mobile phones, operators will still play their boosting role, and facilitate mobile phone users to transform to mobile Internet users via network packages and promotion of 3G numbers. For residents in rural areas and other relatively backward areas, more applications related to rural life should be developed, while Internet access via mobile phones is promoted, so as to increase the interest of rural residents in the Internet and facilitate them to use the Internet.
Figure 4: Reasons for China's Non-netizens to Stay Offline
On August 1, 2013, China's State Council printed and distributed the Broadband China Strategy and Implementation Plan , which emphasizes better strategic guidance and systematic deployment to promote rapid and healthy development of the country's broadband infrastructure; more efforts in Fiber to the Home; access to broadband in rural areas; and broadband access for public interest organizations. It is foreseeable that construction of basic network facilities will continue to be enhanced, and the service capability of network infrastructure will be improved in the future. The all-inclusive and multidimensional network access support will boost the sustained growth of Internet users in China and the further penetration of network applications, and will facilitate technological developments and application innovations of the Internet in China.
As of December 2013, China had 500 million mobile phone Internet users, a growth of 80.09 million compared with the figure at the end of 2012. Among all Chinese Internet users, the proportion of those using mobile phones to access the Internet rose to 81.0% from 74.5% at the end of 2012, and the number of China's mobile phone Internet users grew steadily.
The size of mobile phone Internet users have continued to grow because the popularization of 3G, development of wireless networks and falling prices of smartphones have laid a good foundation for Internet access via mobile phones, facilitating Internet users to use various mobile phone applications. Those who have limited network or terminal access, in particular, have been provided with the possibility of accessing the Internet. According to the data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China shipped 348 million smartphones from January to October 2013, and the sales grew rapidly; the number of 3G mobile phone users reached 386 million in November 2013, a growth of 154 million over the same period of last year. On the other hand, the diversity and deep-going nature of mobile phone application services, especially the new instant messaging tools and lifestyle service applications, have further expanded the impact of Internet access via mobile phones in daily life, and improved the stickiness of mobile phone Internet users while meeting diversified living needs of Internet users.
With the rapid popularization of smart terminals, lower service fees of telecommunication networks and increasingly complete coverage of Wi-Fi, Internet access via mobile phones has become the main impetus for Internet development. It has not only facilitated China's Internet penetration, but also generated more new applications, reconstructed the business mode of traditional industries, and resulted in the rapid growth of the Internet economy.
Figure 5: Mobile Phone Internet Users and Their Proportion to Total Netizens in China
In 2013, the size of Internet users grew by a certain margin across China. Of 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government on the Chinese mainland, 25 had over ten million Internet users, and 13 had an Internet penetration rate which is higher than the national average level, including newly added Qinghai province and Hebei province compared to 2012 whose Internet penetration was 47.8% and 46.5% respectively.
The regional differences of Internet development in China still existed in 2013. The Internet penetration rate was relatively high in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, etc., higher than 65%, and relatively low in Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, etc., lower than 33%. In 2013, Internet users grew the fastest in those provinces with relatively low Internet penetration, such as Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Henan, while Internet users grew slightly slower in those regions with relatively high Internet penetration, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong. With the increasing popularization of Internet devices and further implementation of the broadband network program, the regional differences in China's Internet development will be further reduced in the future.
Table 1: Size of Internet Users and Internet Penetration Rate on the Chinese Mainland by Provincial-level Administrative Region, 2012 and 2013
As of December 2013, China's rural Internet users accounted for 28.6% of total Chinese netizens, reaching 177 million, up by 21.01 million compared with the figure in 2012. In 2013, the rate of growth was 13.5% for rural Internet users and 8.0% for urban Internet users, with the gap between urban and rural Internet users continuously narrowing.
Figure 6: Urban-rural Structure of Internet Users in China
Owing to China's urbanization in recent years, the proportion of its rural population in total Chinese population has dropped continuously, but the proportion of its rural Internet users in total Chinese netizens has kept rising, which has reflected the achievement made in the Internet popularization in the country's rural areas. In 2013, the Internet penetration in China's rural areas reached 27.5% and extended the trend of growth since 2012. The gap between urban and rural areas in terms of Internet popularization has further narrowed, and rural areas are still the important impetus for current growth of Chinese Internet users.
Figure 7: Internet Penetration and Urbanization Process in China's Urban and Rural Areas
As of December 2013, the sex ratio of China's Internet users was 56:44, similar to that of 2012. The sex ratio of Chinese Internet users basically remains stable under the influence of a huge base number of Internet users.
Figure 8: Sex Structure of Internet Users in China
Internet users aged 20–29 accounted for 31.2%, the largest proportion, of total Chinese netizens as of December 2013, and had a similar structure to that as of the end of 2012. The proportion of low-age and advanced-age Internet users increased slightly in China, meaning that the Internet was becoming more and more popular.
Figure 9: Age Structure of Internet Users in China
As of December 2013, China's Internet penetration rate among people with an education background of high school or above attained a comparatively high level, and the growth possibility could be limited in the future. The population with primary school education or below accounted for 11.9% in 2013, slightly rising compared to 2012 and maintaining a growth trend. China's Internet users continue to cover the population with low levels of education.
Figure 10: Educational Background Structure of Internet Users in China
According to the survey below, students were still the largest group among China's Internet users, accounting for 25.5%. The Internet penetration was high among this group. Self-employed individuals or freelancers were the second largest group among Chinese netizens, accounting for 18.6%. Managers accounted for 2.5% of total Chinese Internet users in companies and enterprises, while non-managerial employees accounted for 11.4%.
Figure 11: Occupational Structure of Internet Users in China
According to the survey below, China's Internet users with a monthly income
of 2,001–3,000 yuan and 3,001–5,000 yuan were of the biggest size in the country's total netizens, and accounted for 17.8% and 15.8% respectively. Chinese Internet users with a monthly income of 500 yuan or below and no income accounted for 20.8%.
Figure 12: Monthly Income Structure of Internet Users in China
In 2013, China's netizens using their mobile phones to surf the Internet kept growing, rising from 74.5% to 81.0%, up by 6.5 percentage points, while the proportion of Chinese netizens using desktops or laptops to access the Internet dropped slightly.
Figure 13: Internet Access Devices and Their Utilization Rates by Netizens in China
In 2013, China's Internet users who accessed the Internet from such locations as homes, cybercafés or schools dropped slightly by 1.9, 3.7 and 4.4 percentage points respectively. Specifically, those who accessed the Internet via computers at school dropped by the largest margin, mainly because the smartphone prices and the network service fees dropped, enabling more students to access the Internet via mobile phones. Diversified Internet access devices and convenient network access have further reduced the proportion of Internet users who use computers to access the Internet.
Figure 14: Places for China's Netizens to Access the Internet via Computers
In 2013, the online duration of China's netizens per capita per week reached 25.0 hours, an increase of 4.5 hours over the previous year. The online duration of China's Internet users has kept increasing in recent years, especially in 2013 when the online duration increased the most. In 2013, the rapid development of Wi-Fi and 3G networks better satisfied the needs of netizens to use various applications. Particularly the use of large-traffic applications such as videos has increased the netizens' duration of using various applications from the perspective of the depth of app usage. In addition, diversified Internet applications have enabled mobile phone Internet users to shift from relatively simple applications, such as fragmented reading and news, to those applications with long duration and great stickiness, such as social networking and lifestyle service applications, all of which have increased the overall use duration in terms of application coverage.
Figure 15: Average Weekly Internet Access Hours per User in China