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China stops publishing data metrics of vast domestic apps market amid declining internet service revenue, faltering economy
- The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has ceased to report China’s app data metrics since July this year
- There were 2.32 million apps operating in mainland China at the end of June, down 8 per cent from 2.52 million at the end of 2021
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Ben Jiangin Beijing
The Chinese government has stopped reporting data metrics of domestic apps for the last three months without explanation, which makes it difficult for outside analysts to assess the health of this industry in the world’s largest internet and smartphone market.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), one of the government agencies responsible for regulating apps, started omitting this market segment’s data metrics from its monthly reports from July, according to the latest information on its website. This marks the first time the MIIT ceased to publish China’s apps metrics since the agency initially included the data in its August 2017 report.
It is not known whether the MIIT will later decide to release China’s app data metrics for the whole of 2022. The ministry on Tuesday released the country’s apps data metrics for 2021.
The MIIT did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Thursday.
Omission of the app data metrics has come at a time when China’s internet industry, especially the mainland’s major app operators, struggle with a significant decrease in consumer spending and a faltering domestic economy amid continued strict Covid-19 controls, following a series of regulatory crackdowns.
There were 2.32 million apps being operated in mainland China at the end of June, down 8 per cent from 2.52 million at the end of 2021, according to published data from the MIIT. The latest number made up about half of the 4.49 million apps in operation at the end of 2018.
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