According to a report released yesterday by China’s Social Sciences Academic Press, China’s internet users are expected to exceed 800 million by 2015. China already has more than a half-billion net users, and with smartphone and broadband penetration growing rapidly, SSAP’s prediction may be optimistic but it certainly isn’t unrealistic.
SSAP’s report says that more than a quarter of the internet users to be gained over the next few years will come from China’s countryside, where broadband and smartphone penetration rates are markedly lower than in cities.
The report’s predictions are based on official government numbers that put China’s net users at 538 million as of June of this year. Sustained growth is predicted because the costs of accessing the internet are going down (especially as cheap smartphones flood the market) and because China has more than 1.3 billion people, so the potential market for the internet is vast.
And what are these Chinese users doing online? A little over a month ago we took a look at a CNNIC report that broke down Chinese internet user habits — and how they’re changing — into a pretty detailed table. Here’s the scoop:
| Use | No. of Users (Millions) | Usage Proportion (Percent) | 6-Month Growth Rate (Percent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instant messaging | 445 | 82.8 | 7.2 |
| Search | 428 | 79.7 | 5.2 |
| Music | 410 | 76.4 | 6.4 |
| News | 392 | 73 | 6.9 |
| Blog / Personal sites | 353 | 65.7 | 10.9 |
| Videos | 349 | 65.1 | 7.6 |
| Games | 331 | 61.6 | 2.1 |
| Microblog | 273 | 50.9 | 9.5 |
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
