A saleswoman promotes local dry fruits via livestream at the Grand Bazaar Pedestrian Mall in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on April 12. (Photo: Sipa)

The number of Chinese using the internet exceeded 900 million as of March, with about 710 million online consumers and more than 400 million using it for educational purposes, a report issued by the China Internet Network Information Center said on Tuesday.

The internet users across the country totaled 904 million by the end of March, up 75.08 million compared with 2018, and the internet availability rate reached 64.5 percent, according to the report.

Of the total, 710 million people shopped online, up 16.4 percent compared with 2018, and they bought goods worth about 10.63 trillion yuan ($1.5 trillion) in 2019, it said, adding that online consumption as a major part of digital economy has played a dynamic role in promoting the consumption sector.

Meanwhile, the number of people using the internet for educational purposesreached 423 million as of March, up more than 110 percent compared with 2018. The industry’s explosive growth has met greater demand of students during the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia, it said.

In addition, online entertainment applications have also seen a rapid development due to the epidemic, with 850 million online video users and 635 million listening to music in cyberspace, it added.