China close to 1 billion internet users
The 47th Statistical Report on Internet Development in China reveals that as of December 2020, China had 989 million internet users. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase of 85.4 million internet users was observed. The report also highlights that between March and December an additional 72.15 million people were shopping online predominantly through their mobile phones, bringing the total number of online shoppers in China to 782 million people, or 79% of all internet users. In addition, 94% of internet users watched videos online. The report indicated a drop in people using online education and health-care services by December compared with earlier in the pandemic.