China now has 731 million internet users, 95% access from their phones

Photo credit: Leniners.

In a record high, China now has 731 million internet users, with 53.1 percent of the population online, according to authorities.

The latest figure, for the end of 2016, is nearly double the 2009 tally, shows data from the official China Internet Network Information Center.

China’s mobile internet users climbed to 695 million, showing much stronger growth than the rate of overall web users. While there’s still extensive usage of PCs and laptops, especially at workplaces and schools, 95.1 percent of total internet users access from mobile devices – mainly phones.

No one can shut up WeChat

In other highlights:

• 469 million mobile wallet users, up 31.2 percent in the past year, as more people than ever turn to WeChat, Alipay, Apple Pay, and several other services for online and in-store payments.
• 168 million people use ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Didi.
• WeChat remains the most used app, with 80 percent of netizens frequenting the social network.

(Correction: original chart mislabeled 2016 as 2017. Now fixed.)