BEIJING, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – During the first half of 2026, China’s digital economy achieved a total revenue of 20.71 trillion yuan, reflecting a 13.6% increase compared to the same period last year. The overall profit rose by 19.3%, reaching 1.79 trillion yuan. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology noted an industry profit margin of 8.6%, which is 0.7 percentage points higher than the previous year. These figures encompass key segments of China’s rapidly expanding digital landscape.
Leading regional digital markets maintained their dominance over industry activities during this period. The top 10 provincial-level markets amassed a combined revenue of 17.21 trillion yuan, growing 13.2% from the prior year. These regions collectively accounted for 83.1% of the nation’s digital industry revenue and contributed to 87% of the sector’s overall growth. Guangdong, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang remained among the most significant digital hubs in the country.
Growth in Central China outpaced the national digital industry average, with regional revenue reaching 2.86 trillion yuan, an increase of 28.3% from a year earlier. Throughout the first half of 2026, China continued to develop its communications and computing infrastructure. As 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 stood at 2.247 million.
Expansion of Computing Power and 5G Networks
China’s intelligent computing capacity reached 2,185 EFLOPS based on FP16 measurements in this period, representing a 177% surge from the previous year. The utilization rate across computing facilities was 71.4%. Moreover, China has established 52 intelligent computing centers, each equipped with over 10,000 accelerator cards. Nationwide, more than 80,000 private 5G industry networks are operational, with over 26,000 projects integrating 5G and industrial internet technologies active across the country.
The digital manufacturing sector demonstrated notable growth in output, revenue, and profits. The electronics industry’s value-added output increased by 14.8% year-over-year. Major electronic information producers generated revenue of 12.15 trillion yuan, up 17.8%, with their combined profits jumping 66% to 703.6 billion yuan. Contributions to earnings growth came from sectors like integrated circuits, computer manufacturing, and specialized electronic materials. During this period, electronics output growth exceeded the overall industrial growth by 9.4 percentage points.
Steady Progress in Software and Internet Sectors
China’s software industry and IT services continued to expand alongside digital manufacturing. The sector’s revenue increased by 9.5% during the first half of 2026. Software product sales rose by 6.9%, while IT services revenue advanced 10.4%. Leading internet firms reported a 10.1% rise in revenue, and their total profits increased by 16.6% compared to the same period last year. Additionally, telecommunications business volume grew by 8.3% at constant prices.
The digital industry’s growth outpaced China’s overall economic expansion in the first six months of 2026. The National Bureau of Statistics recorded a 4.7% increase in national GDP. The sectors of information transmission, software, and IT services each experienced a 10.7% rise in added value. The country’s digital industry encompasses electronic information manufacturing, telecommunications, software, IT services, and internet-related business sectors. These segments collectively generated trillions of yuan in revenue during the period across China.