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Internet Services in China - Market Research Report (2014-2029)

IBISWorld IBISWorld Beijing, China Last Updated: May 2024 6020

Revenue

$986.3bn

2024

$986.3bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$XXX.Xbn

Employees

1m

Businesses

36,532

Wages

$XX.Xbn

Internet Services in China industry analysis

Revenue for the Internet Services industry is expected to grow at a rapid 9.4% in 2024, to reach $986.3 billion. Industry revenue is expected to grow at an annualized 9.4% over the five years through 2024, driven by booming domestic demand. The number of internet users in China has increased rapidly over the period. The COVID-19 outbreak in China drove market demand for internet services in China. The pandemic situation in China was serious in 2020, and revenue for the Internet Services industry increased rapidly during this period.
Although the profit margins of listed companies are high, they have been declining as competition has intensified and prices have decreased. In 2024, profit is estimated at 28.5% of industry revenue due to substantial investments in research and development (R&D) and much higher wage costs.
The application services segment has become more important to the industry over the past five years. Although revenue from interface services has made up about half of the application service segment in recent years, other services such as online payment, online takeaway and instant messaging services have developed at a faster rate. New application services such as Alipay, Meituan.com and WeChat have become increasingly popular, along with growth in internet users.
According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the number of internet users in China totaled 1.09 billion in 2023, ranking the country first in the world. The internet penetration rate has reached 79.0%. As more well-known international enterprises enter the industry, competition will intensify further and result in better services for consumers.
Industry revenue is forecast to increase at an annualized 5.5% over the five years through 2029, to reach $1.3 trillion in 2029. Strong revenue growth will be mainly due to internet coverage expanding substantially in rural and remote areas in China, and thriving advertising services boosted by ecommerce.

Trends and Insights

  • The internet is also providing more services for individuals and has become an important part of people's daily lives. However, the internet penetration rate remains lower compared with some other developed countries, implying further growth potential.
  • Basic internet access services account for 47.7% of industry revenue. The application fields of basic internet access services are very extensive.
  • Industry operations are mainly located in the North, East and Middle South China regions. Internet service providers are concentrated in these areas, and people's consumption power is greatest.
  • Innovation has become one of the most important aspects of competition in the industry. The industry's enterprises must be able to create new services and update old ones.

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  • Critical performance data and rankings
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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 9.4 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $986.3bn in 2024.

Trends and Insights

The domestic market has continued to expand rapidly as various internet services have become popular

  • Since 2010, micro-blogging and WeChat have become extremely popular, bringing many new opportunities for industry development. Mobile app development has also strongly increased, contributing to industry growth.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Internet Services in China
Revenue (2014-2029)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2024-2029)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Price competition between enterprises seriously affects the growth of industry revenue

  • Price competition is important in the industry, such as for internet access and online games. Price fluctuations affect the number of users, while broadband service prices affect the number of household users of the internet.

Biggest companies in the Internet Services in China

Company

There are no companies that hold a large enough market share in the Internet Services in China industry for IBISWorld to include in this product.

Products & Services Segmentation

Internet Services in China
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Basic internet access services, Online advertising and Web portals. Basic internet access services is the largest segment of the Internet Services in China.

Trends and Insights

The application fields of basic internet access services are very extensive

  • Major basic services include domain name applications, virtual host services and online storage services. Application services include more than 50 varieties of services in China, including internet advertising, web portals, search engines, instant messaging and online games.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

The Internet Services industry in China provides users with internet information publishing and application platforms, including internet news and information services, search engines, instant messaging, interactive information services, online live streaming, advertising promotion, online storage, application software download, etc. Ecommerce businesses are not included in the industry.

What's included in this industry?

Basic internet access servicesOnline advertisingWeb portalsSearch enginesInstant messagingOther internet application services

Companies

Purchase this report to view all major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER (ISP)CLICK-THROUGH RATEREALLY SIMPLE SYNDICATION (RSS)WEB 2.0

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

The internet is also providing more services for individuals and has become an important part of people's daily lives. However, the internet penetration rate remains lower co...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Basic internet access services account for 47.7% of industry revenue. The application fields of basic internet access services are very extensive.

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2024
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2024
  • Major market segmentation in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

Industry operations are mainly located in the North, East and Middle South China regions. Internet service providers are concentrated in these areas, and people's consumption...

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2024
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across Asia Pacific, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Innovation has become one of the most important aspects of competition in the industry. The industry's enterprises must be able to create new services and update old ones.

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

Large companies focus on product development and innovation. Both Tencent and Alibaba Group has established R&D centers to improve their competitiveness.

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2020 through 2024
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2024

Detailed analysis

    External Environment

    Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

    Analyst insights

    The level of regulation is heavy. The Internet Services in China is under the regulation and supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People'...

    In this chapter

    • External Drivers
    • Regulation & Policy
    • Assistance

    Key metrics

    • Regulation & policy level and trend
    • Assistance level and trend

    Charts

    • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 
    • Assistance historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 

    Detailed analysis

    • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
    • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
    • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

    Financial Benchmarks

    View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

    Analyst insights

    Profit varies among participants in the Internet Service Providers industry, as each company brings its own combination of infrastructure and value-added services. Larger com...

    In this chapter

    • Cost Structure
    • Financial Ratios
    • Key Ratios

    Key metrics

    • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
    • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
    • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
    • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

    Charts

    • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
    • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
    • Investment vs. share of economy

    Data tables

    • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
    • Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
    • Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
    • Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
    • Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
    • Average Wage (2014-2029)
    • Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
    • Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
    • IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
    • Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
    • Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)

    Detailed analysis

    • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

    Key Statistics

    Industry Data

    Data Tables

    Including values and annual change:

    • Revenue (2014-2029)
    • IVA (2014-2029)
    • Establishments (2014-2029)
    • Enterprises (2014-2029)
    • Employment (2014-2029)
    • Exports (2014-2029)
    • Imports (2014-2029)
    • Wages (2014-2029)

    Top Questions Answered

    Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

    What is the market size of the Internet Services industry in China in 2024?

    The market size of the Internet Services industry in China is $986.3bn in 2024.

    How many businesses are there in the Internet Services in China industry in 2024?

    There are 36,532 businesses in the Internet Services industry in China, which has grown at a CAGR of 1.8 % between 2019 and 2024.

    Has the Internet Services industry in China grown or declined over the past 5 years?

    The market size of the Internet Services industry in China has been growing at a CAGR of 9.4 % between 2019 and 2024.

    What is the forecast growth of the Internet Services industry in China over the next 5 years?

    Over the next five years, the Internet Services industry in China is expected to grow.

    What does the Internet Services in China include?

    Basic internet access services and Online advertising are part of the Internet Services industry.

    How competitive is the Internet Services industry in China?

    The level of competition is high and steady in the Internet Services industry in China.

    Related Industries

    Widen your competitive advantage with related industries

    Competitors

    • There are no industries to display.

    Complementors

    • Mobile Telecommunications in China
    • Online Shopping in China
    • Online Games in China
    • Social Networking in China
    • Smart Phone Manufacturing in China
    • Computer Tablet Manufacturing in China

    International industries

    • Global Internet Service Providers
    • Internet Service Providers in the US
    • Internet Publishing and Broadcasting in the US
    • Search Engines in the US
    • Adult & Pornographic Websites in the US

    View all industries in China

    Methodology

    How are IBISWorld reports created?

    IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

    Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

    IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

    What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

    Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

    Key data sources in China include:

    • National Bureau of Statistics China
    • General Administration of Customs
    • People’s Bank of China

    Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

    These sources include:

    • Industry and trade associations
    • Industry federations or regulators
    • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

    Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

    How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

    IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

    IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

    Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.