China’s retail sales of goods, services up 2.5% in first eight months

China’s Retail Sales of Goods, Services Up 2.5% in First Eight Months

China’s total retail sales of goods and services, a key indicator of the country’s consumption strength, increased by 2.5 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2026, according to official data released on Tuesday.

Key Findings:

• Retail sales of services rose 4.9 percent year-on-year during the period, surpassing the 1-percent growth in goods sales.
• Among service categories, communication and information services, tourism consulting and rental services, and cultural, sports, and leisure services showed robust growth.

In the first eight months, retail sales of consumer goods (including goods and catering revenue) totaled 32.76 trillion Yuan (approximately US$4.84 trillion), up 1.1 percent year-on-year. Online retail sales reached 13.48 trillion Yuan, up 4.6 percent. Online goods sales grew 4.3 percent to 8.42 trillion Yuan, while online service sales increased 5.1 percent to 5.06 trillion Yuan.

In August alone, retail sales of consumer goods stood at 3.98 trillion Yuan, up 0.4 percent year-on-year.