BEIJING, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that China’s digital sector achieved a total revenue of 20.71 trillion yuan during the initial six months of 2026. This figure represents a 13.6% increase compared to the same period last year, while overall profits grew by 19.3% to reach 1.79 trillion yuan. The ministry also reported an industry profit margin of 8.6%, which is 0.7 percentage points higher than the previous year. These statistics encompass key segments of China’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
During this period, China’s dominant regional digital markets continued to lead industry activity. The top 10 provincial-level markets collectively generated 17.21 trillion yuan in revenue, marking a 13.2% rise from the previous year. These regions accounted for 83.1% of the nation’s total digital industry revenue and contributed to 87% of the overall sector growth. Guangdong, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang maintained their status as the country’s primary digital hubs.
Central China experienced a faster growth rate than the national average, with regional revenue reaching 2.86 trillion yuan—an increase of 28.3% year-over-year. Furthermore, China continued to expand its communications and computing infrastructure in the first half of 2026. By the end of June, the country had 5.102 million 5G base stations and 32.86 million 10G PON ports supporting gigabit network services. The number of 5G RedCap base stations also climbed to 2.247 million.
Expansion of Computing Power and 5G Networks
China’s intelligent computing capacity reached 2,185 EFLOPS based on FP16 measurement during this period, reflecting a 177% increase from a year earlier. The utilization rate across computing facilities stood at 71.4%. Additionally, China has developed 52 intelligent computing centers equipped with more than 10,000 accelerator cards each. The nation also reported over 80,000 private 5G industry networks in operation nationwide, with more than 26,000 active projects integrating 5G and industrial internet technologies across the country.
The digital manufacturing sector demonstrated robust growth in production, revenue, and profits. The electronics industry’s value-added output increased by 14.8% year-over-year. Major electronic information producers generated 12.15 trillion yuan in revenue, up 17.8%, while their combined profit jumped by 66% to 703.6 billion yuan. Key contributors to this growth included integrated circuits, computer manufacturing, and specialized electronic materials. Electronics output growth exceeded the overall industrial growth rate by 9.4 percentage points during this period.
Software and Online Services Continue to Grow
The sector of software and IT services in China maintained its expansion alongside digital manufacturing. Revenue from this sector increased by 9.5% during the first half of 2026. Software product revenue grew by 6.9%, and information technology services revenue rose by 10.4%. Major internet companies reported a 10.1% increase in revenue, with their total profits rising 16.6% compared to the same period last year. Additionally, the telecommunications sector experienced an 8.3% growth in business volume at constant prices.
During the first half of 2026, China’s digital sector outpaced the broader economy. The National Bureau of Statistics recorded an economic growth rate of 4.7%. The sectors of information transmission, software, and IT services experienced a 10.7% increase in added value. China’s digital industry encompasses electronic information manufacturing, telecommunications, software, IT services, and internet-related industries. Collectively, these segments generated trillions of yuan in revenue across the country during the period.