On July 16, 2009, China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released the 24th Statistical Survey Report on the Internet Development in China. I have read through the report and below is a translated summary.

Note: the statistics are counted by the end of June 2009; the comparisons are according to the data by the end of 2008.

I. Netizen Size

• The total number of netizens in China had increased to 338 million |  up from 298 million
• The Internet penetration rate reached 25.5% | up from 22.6%
• 94.3% of netizens (320 million) access the Internet via broadband | up from 90.6% (270 million)
• 45.9% of netizens (155 million) access the Internet via mobile phones  | up from 39.6% (118 million)

II. Netizen Demographic

• Gender: 53.0% male netizens, and 47.0% female netizens  | fluctuated from 52.5% : 47.5%
• Age:

- 0.9% under 10  | up from 0.4%

- 33.0% between 10 – 19  | down from 35.2%

- 29.8% between 20 – 29  | down from 31.5%

- 20.7% between 30 – 39  | up from 17.6%

- 9.9% between 40 – 49  | up from 9.6%

- 4.0% between 50 – 59  | up from 4.2%

- 1.7% 60 or older | up from 1.5%

• Education:

- 7.6% with elementary or lower  | up from 5.4%

- 26.3% with up to middle school  |  down from 28.0%

- 41.0% with up to high school or basic technical training  | up from 39.4%

- 12.7% with college school  | down from 13.9%

- 12.4% with a bachelors degree or higher  | down from 13.2%

• Profession

- 31.7% Students  | down from 33.2%

- 10.5% Employees in Party, government, and institute  | up from 10.3%

- 4.0% Managers  | down from 4.5%

- 13.9% Enterprise Staff  | down from 15.0%

- 7.1% Technical professionals  | down from 8.7%

- 2.2% Rural migrant workers  | down from 2.6%

- 3.2% Workers in industries and service industries  | down from 2.0%

- 6.9% Self-employed  | down from 7.3%

- 6.9% Freelancers  | up from 6.4%

- 1.6% Agricultural, forestry, husbandry, fishery laborers  | down from 2.3%

- 2.0% Retirees  | same

- 7.4% Jobless, laid-off and unemployed people  | up from 5.5%

- 2.7 Others  | up from 0.5%

• Income (RMB)

- 5.1% no income  | up from 1.5%

- 23.5% Under 500  | down from 26.0%

- 15.6% 500 – 1000  | down from 16.2%

- 14.0% 1000 – 1500  | down from 16.0%

- 14.2% 1500 – 2000  | up from 13.8%

- 14.2% 2000 – 3000  | up from 13.7%

- 8.5% 3000 – 5000  | up from 8.0%

- 2.5% 5000 – 8000  | down from 2.9%

- 2.4% Above  | up from 1.9%

• Structure: 71.7% urban netizens, and 28.3% rural netizens | fluctuated from 71.6% : 28.4%

III. Netizen Behavior

• Time spent online: average 18.0 hours a week  | up from 16.6%

• Access places:

- 80.2% from home  | up from 78.4%

- 35.5% from Internet cafes  | down from 42.4%

- 25.7% from office  | up from 20.7%

- 18.8% from school  | up from 11.3%

- 7.0% from other public locales  | up from 2.7%

• Access Devices:

- 78.3% via desktop computers  | down from 89.4%

- 46.0% via mobile phones  | up from 39.5%

- 25.9% via laptop computers  | down from 27.8%

- 3.6% via other devices  | up from 1.4%

• Internet Applications:

- 85.5% netizens are using online music service | up from 83.7%

- 78.7% netizens are using online news service  | up from 78.5%

- 72.2% netizens are using instant messaging service  | down from 75.3%

- 69.4% netizens are using search engine service  | up from 68.0%

- 65.8% netizens are using online video service  | down from 67.5%

- 64.2% netizens are using online gaming service  | up from 62.8%

- 55.4% netizens are using email service  | down from 56.8%

- 53.8% netizens are using blog/space service (both BSP and SNS) | down from 54.3%

- 30.4% netizens are using forum/ BBS service  | down from 30.7%

- 26.0% netizens are using online shopping service  | up from 24.8%

- 22.4% netizens are using online banking service  | up from 17.6%

- 10.4% netizens are using online stock speculation service  | down from 11.4%

- 4.1% netizens are using online travel reservation | down from 5.6%

IV. Netizen Lifestyle

• Online trust:

- 84.3% netizens say Internet is the main information channel  | n/a

- 48.0% netizens say they trust online information more than TV  | n/a

- 39.4% netizens say the registration info they fill in on the Internet is true  | down from 47.5%

- 29.2% netizens say they feel safe to have transactions online  | up from 27.6%

• Online interaction:

- 56.1% netizens say the Internet is their primary channel for airing my views  | up from 41.9%

- 81.7% netizens say after having access to the Internet, they are more concerned with social events than before  | up from 76.9%

- 66.5% netizens say they make many new friends on the Internet  | up from 65.4%

- 87.0% netizens say the Internet strengthens their contact with friends  | up from 82.5%

- 78.5% netizens say they always share knowledge with others online | n/a

- 76.0% netizens say they will re-paste good content online  | n/a

• Online dependence:

- 77.5% netizens say they cannot work or study without the Internet  | up from 39.0%

- 81.6% netizens say handling business online save them a lot of time  | up from 69.3%

- 22.2% netizens say they feel more lonely in the age of the Internet  | up from 19.9%

- 34.4% netizens say the Internet reduces their time spent with family  | up from 29.0%

- 16.4% netizens say they feel uncomfortable if they don’t surf Internet in one day  | n/a

- 17.4% netizens say they would like spend more time on time than the real society  | n/a

V. Special Section – Mobile

• Base: 155 million mobile netizens (45.9% of total netizens)
• Mobile application:

- 71.5% mobile netizens are using mobile instant messaging

- 26.2% mobile netizens are using mobile search engine

- 25.8% mobile netizens are listening/downloading mobile music content

- 14.7% mobile netizens are playing mobile online game

- 9.8% mobile netizens are using mobile email service

- 9.6% mobile netizens are connecting to mobile community/SNS

- 8.3% mobile netizens are using mobile blogging service

- 8.0% mobile netizens are watching mobile TV

• Influence of using mobile:

- 55.0% mobile netizens say the speed of surfing mobile Internet is slow

- 34.6% mobile netizens say the cost of surfing mobile Internet is high

- 29.1% mobile netizens say the battery consumption is high

- 22.2% mobile netizens say the mobile phone display is too small

- 17.3% mobile netizens say the fee is unclear and there are irregular charges

- 14.2% mobile netizens say the contents and applications don’t meet expectation

- 10.0% mobile netizens are unable to explain clearly

- 7.9% mobile netizens say others

• Restrict of using mobile:

- 37.5% non-mobile netizens say they don’t know how to use their mobile phones to surf Internet

- 20.2% non-mobile netizens say they don’t have the need

- 15.9% non-mobile netizens say they are unable to explain clearly

- 14.8%  non-mobile netizens say they don’t have mobile phone

- 4.8% non-mobile netizens say they don’t have supportive mobile phone

- 4.2% non-mobile netizens say they are unclear about the fee of mobile Internet surfing

- 4.2% non-mobile netizens say they don’t understand about mobile Internet surfing

- 3.0% non-mobile netizens say the fee of mobile Internet surfing is too experience

- 8.4% non-mobile netizens say others

• Expectation on 3G:

- 28.0% mobile netizens say they will use 3G to surf Internet in the future, 32.4% say won’t, and 39.6% say not sure

- 49.0% non-mobile netizens say they will use 3G to surf Internet in the future, 32.6% say won’t, and 18.4% say not sure

- 65.7% (to-be) 3G netizens say they are willing to use mobile instant messaging via 3G

- 44.7% (to-be) 3G netizens say they are willing to listen or download mobile music content via 3G

- 39.2% (to-be) 3G netizens say they are willing to watch mobile TV via 3G

- 38.3% (to-be) 3G netizens say they are willing to use mobile search engine via 3G

- 31.1% (to-be) 3G netizens say they are willing to play mobile online game via 3G

- 28.2% (to-be) 3G netizens say they are willing to use mobile blogging service via 3G

- 25.1% (to-be) 3G netizens say they are willing to use mobile email service via 3G

- 20.4% (to-be) 3G netizens say they are willing to connect to mobile community/SNS via 3G

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Here is the full report (in Chinese), and you can also download it here (PDF) or here (Word)