China had 649 million internet users by end of 2014.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: The number of internet users in China continues to exceed expectations and surge upward.
China had 649 million internet users by the end of 2014, an increase of 31 million from the year before, according to a report from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) that Reuters obtained.
Growth in the mobile internet user base was even faster, at 57 million. 557 million of China’s internet-goers use mobile handsets to get online, the CNNIC said.
China’s internet growth over the last several years has been astounding, and several of the nation’s technology and internet-based companies have ridden the wave to become veritable juggernauts on the global stage. Late last year the Alibaba Group, a Chinese e-commerce company, not only captured the title of largest U.S.-listed initial public offering, but also claimed the largest IPO the world has ever seen.
Companies from abroad have not failed to take notice of China’s burgeoning market power either, with CNet reporting that Apple calls China “its second-most-important market behind the Americas,” while Yahoo was one of Alibaba’s most significant investors before earning a $9.4 billion windfall from selling a chunk of its shares during the record-breaking IPO.
Another major factor causing companies to flock to China is that a massive portion of the nation’s potential still remains untapped. According to the CNIC, the nation’s “internet penetration rate” is 47.9 percent while rural users only account for a quarter of China’s total. By comparison, 74.4 percent of households in the United States reported internet usage in 2013, per the U.S. Census Bureau.