CNNIC report: By June 2024, the number of internet users in China had reached nearly 1.1 billion people, with short videos becoming an important application for new internet users to "go online".

On August 29th, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released the 54th "Statistical Report on Internet Development in China" at the 2024 China International Big Data Industry Expo "Smart Economy Innovation and Development" exchange event. The report shows that as of June 2024, the scale of internet users in China is nearly 1.1 billion (1.09967 billion), an increase of 7.42 million from December 2023, with an internet penetration rate of 78.0%. In the first half of the year, the internet industry in China maintained a good development momentum, with a solid foundation for internet infrastructure, the stimulus of domestic demand through digital consumption, the release of innovation vitality through digital applications, more people accessing the internet, and sharing the convenience and dividends of the digital era. The internet infrastructure continues to enrich, and its foundation role is increasingly prominent The report shows that in the first half of the year, internet basic resources such as domain names and IP addresses continued to enrich, providing a solid support for the operation and vigorous development of the internet industry. First, the continuous advancement of IPv6 deployment and application. As of June, the number of IPv6 addresses was 69,080 blocks/32, an increase of 1.5% from December 2023; as of May, the number of active IPv6 users reached 794 million, with mobile network IPv6 traffic accounting for 64.56%, and the support rate of major commercial websites and mobile internet applications for IPv6 reaching 90%. Second, the amount of national top-level domain names has ranked first in the world for ten consecutive years. As of June, the total number of domain names in China was 31.87 million, with the number of national top-level domain names ".CN" being 19.56 million, accounting for 61.4% of the total domain names, ranking first in the world for ten consecutive years. Teenagers and the elderly are the main new internet users, with short videos having the strongest "user acquisition" capability The report shows that in the first half of the year, China's digital information infrastructure remained stable, and digital benefits and services were widely promoted, effectively driving the growth of internet users. First, teenagers and the elderly are important sources of new internet users. With the continuous improvement of digital aging services and the accelerated popularization of internet applications, various measures have been taken to promote more people to access the internet. Data shows that there were 7.42 million new internet users, with teenagers aged 10-19 and the elderly being the main groups. Among them, teenagers accounted for 49.0% of new internet users, while the age groups of 50-59 and 60 and above accounted for 15.2% and 20.8% of new internet users, respectively. Second, short videos have become an important application for new internet users. Among new internet users, entertainment and social needs are the most stimulating for internet usage, and short video applications accounted for 37.3% of the first-time internet applications used by this group. In addition, instant messaging also showed a certain "user acquisition" capability, accounting for 12.6% of new internet users' first-time internet applications. Trading in the old for the new unleashes domestic demand potential, online service consumption is increasingly popular The report shows that in the first half of the year, trading in the old for the new and online service consumption became highlights of consumption. First, online trading in the old for the new is heating up. In the first half of the year, e-commerce platforms actively cooperated with the "trading in the old for the new" policy by increasing subsidies, simplifying procedures, improving logistics, and other ways to support the implementation of the policy, promoting consumption conversion and upgrading. Data shows that of the internet users who participated in "trading in the old for the new" consumption activities in the past six months, 68.8% of users chose to participate online. Among them, traditional consumer electronics such as smartphones and washing machines had the highest proportion of "trading in the old for the new" consumption, accounting for 28.8% and 23.7% of relevant consumer users, respectively. Second, online life service consumption is becoming increasingly popular. With the increasing richness of online service scenarios, more and more users are enjoying life services online. As of June, users who purchased takeout, dine-in, movies, and leisure and entertainment services online accounted for 50.3%, 20.7%, and 17.3% of internet users, respectively. Mobile payment is becoming more convenient, benefiting elderly and foreign users with new payment experiences The report shows that in the first half of the year, with the deep implementation of a series of measures to improve payment convenience, the convenience of mobile payments continued to increase. First, mobile payment services for the elderly are continuously improving. Various parties in the mobile payment industry actively promote the aging of services, improve the service experience of mobile payments for the elderly through simplifying procedures, adding language broadcasts, etc., and promote the popularization of mobile payments among the elderly. As of June, the usage rate of online payments among internet users aged 60 and above had reached 75.4%. Second, mobile payment services for foreign residents in China are becoming increasingly convenient. Innovative mobile payment services for foreign residents in China, such as "using foreign payment methods domestically" and "binding foreign cards for domestic use," continue to optimize the convenience of mobile payments for foreign residents in China. In the first half of the year, over 5 million inbound travelers used mobile payments, a four-fold increase compared to the previous year; with over 90 million transactions and a total amount of over 14 billion RMB, both seeing a seven-fold increase. The online video industry is flourishing, and short dramas are gradually becoming standardized The report shows that in the first half of the year, with the continuous increase in user demand for high-quality content and the continuous optimization of the industry environment, the online video industry has shown a thriving development momentum. First, the level of compliance in the micro-short drama industry continues to improve. With the gradual introduction of industry guidance policies, the production of micro-short dramas is becoming standardized. As of June, micro-short drama users accounted for 52.4% of the overall internet users. Second, the short video industry continues to thrive. With the increasing user stickiness on short video platforms, the steady development of short video e-commerce business, and the continuous improvement of commercialization efficiency, as of June, short video users accounted for 95.5% of overall internet users. Third, the quality and efficiency of the long video industry is improving. The trend of improving the quality of the industry continues, with long-form dramas like "My Altai" and "Blooming Flowers" having both popularity and word-of-mouth, bringing users a high-quality audiovisual experience. As of June, long video users accounted for 65.2% of overall internet users.