In 2019, the total retail sales of consumer goods in China reached 41,164.9 billion yuan (US$6,010 bn), up by 8.0% year-on-year (nominal growth rate). The real growth rate was 6.0%. Of the total, the retail sales of consumer goods excluding automobiles reached 37,226.0 billion yuan, with an increase of 9.0%.
The retail sales of consumer goods in urban areas was 35,131.7 billion yuan (US$5,129 bn) in 2019, up by 7.9% year-on-year while that in rural areas was 6,033.2 billion yuan (US$881 bn), up by 9.0% year-on-year.
The catering services in 2019 gained 4,672.1 billion yuan (US$682 bn), up by 9.4% year-on-year.
In 2019, the retail sales of supermarkets, department stores, specialty stores, and specialty stores in the retail sector above designated size increased by 6.5%, 1.4%, 3.2%, and 1.5% respectively over the previous year.
In 2019, China’s online retail sales reached 10,632.4 billion yuan (US$1,552 bn), an increase of 16.5% over the previous year. Among them, the online retail sales of physical goods reached 8,523.9 billion yuan, an increase of 19.5%, accounting for 20.7 percent of the total retail sales of social consumer goods; among the online retail sales of physical goods, food, clothing, and other consumer goods increased by 30.9%, 15.4%, and 19.8% respectively.
Breakdown of Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods in China: Dec vs. 2019
| Item | Abs value in Dec (100 mn yuan) |
Y/Y (%) |
Abs Value in 2019 (100 mn yuan) |
Y/Y (%) |
| Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods | 38777 | 8 | 411649 | 8 |
| Of Which: Retail Sales of the Enterprises (units) excluding automobiles | 34349 | 8.9 | 372260 | 9 |
| Of Which: Retail Sales of the Enterprises (units) above Designated Size | 15338 | 4.4 | 148010 | 3.9 |
| Of Which: Online Retail Sales of Physical Goods | – | – | 85239 | 19.5 |
| Grouped by Different Areas | ||||
| City | 32704 | 7.8 | 351317 | 7.9 |
| At and Below County Level | 6073 | 9.1 | 60332 | 9 |
| Grouped by Consumption Patterns | ||||
| Catering Services | 4825 | 9.1 | 46721 | 9.4 |
| Of which: Income of Catering Services of the Enterprises (units) above Designated Size | 914 | 6.1 | 9445 | 7.1 |
| Retail Sales of Goods | 33952 | 7.9 | 364928 | 7.9 |
| Of which: Income of Retail Sales of Goods of the Enterprises (units) above Designated Size | 14424 | 4.3 | 138565 | 3.7 |
| Of which: Grain, Oil, Foodstuff | 1465 | 9.7 | 14525 | 10.2 |
| Beverages, | 198 | 13.9 | 2099 | 10.4 |
| Tobacco and Liquor | 411 | 12.5 | 3913 | 7.4 |
| Garments, Footwear, Hats, Knitwear | 1490 | 1.9 | 13517 | 2.9 |
| Cosmetics | 280 | 11.9 | 2992 | 12.6 |
| Gold, Silver and Jewelry | 268 | 3.7 | 2606 | 0.4 |
| Commodities | 616 | 13.9 | 6111 | 13.9 |
| Household Appliances and AV Equipment | 930 | 2.7 | 9139 | 5.6 |
| Traditional Chinese and Western Medicines | 581 | 8.2 | 5907 | 9 |
| Cultural and Office Appliances | 333 | -11.5 | 3228 | 3.3 |
| Furniture | 212 | 1.8 | 1970 | 5.1 |
| Communication Appliances | 447 | 8.8 | 4839 | 8.5 |
| Petroleum and Related Products | 1815 | 4 | 20042 | 1.2 |
| Automobile | 4428 | 1.8 | 39389 | -0.8 |
| Building and Decoration Materials | 227 | 0.6 | 2061 | 2.8 |
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