China's retail sales up 4.1% in first 4 months

China's retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, climbed 4.1 percent year on year in the first four months of 2024, official data showed Friday.

Retail sales in the country's urban regions rose 4 percent year on year during the period, while that in rural areas expanded 4.8 percent, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

Online retail sales jumped 11.5 percent year on year in January-April, with online retail sales of physical goods expanding 11.1 percent and accounting for 23.9 percent of the total retail sales of consumer goods.

In April alone, retail sales of consumer goods expanded 2.3 percent year on year, data showed.