Beijing: China's retail sales of consumer goods, a key metric of the nation's consumption strength, rose by 1.9 percent year on year in the first four months of 2026. This growth highlights the ongoing expansion in domestic demand within the Chinese market.

According to Qatar News Agency, data from China's National Bureau of Statistics indicates that during the January-April period, the total retail sales of consumer goods amounted to approximately 16.49 trillion yuan, equivalent to about 2.41 trillion US dollars. When excluding automobiles, retail sales saw a 3.1 percent increase, reaching 15.2 trillion yuan. This data underscores the steady rise in domestic consumer demand.

Retail sales of services experienced a 5.6 percent growth year on year in the first four months, marking a slight acceleration of 0.1 percentage points compared to the first quarter. Notable growth areas included telecommunications and information services, tourism and rental services, cultural and recreational services, as well as transportation and travel services.

During the same period, the total online retail sales of goods and services were recorded at 6.53 trillion yuan, marking a 6.6 percent increase year on year. Retail sales performance remains a crucial indicator of domestic consumption strength in China, which is a significant growth driver for the world's second-largest economy.