As of June 2023,Hunt, "Introduction", in Hunt ed., Eroticism p. 3 and p. 5 the number of China’s netizens reached 1.079 billion, according to a statistical report released on August 29 by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). The figure represents an internet penetration rate of 76.4% and an increase of 11.09 million people compared to December 2022, according to the report. By June of this year, the numbers of instant messaging and online video users reached 1.047 billion and 1.044 billion, with penetration rates of 97.1% and 96.8%, respectively. Of the total online video users, users of short video clips reached 1.026 billion. Additionally, number of online car-hailing, online travel booking, and online literature users grew by 34.92 million, 30.91 million, and 35.92 million, respectively, compared to December 2022. The growth rates for the three sectors were 8.0%, 7.3%, and 7.3%, making them the three fastest-growing Internet application segments in terms of user base. [CNNIC report, in Chinese]
