China’s retail sales rose 0.6% year-on-year in July 2026, slowing from 1% growth in June and falling well short of expectations for a 1.5% increase. Weak big-ticket spending continued to weigh on consumption, with automobile sales plunging 17.0%. Excluding automobiles, retail sales rose 2.5%. Sales also declined for petroleum products (-7.6%), furniture (-8.8%), and building materials (-14.2%). In contrast, communication equipment sales jumped 20.4%, while tobacco and alcohol rose 6.0%, cosmetics increased 6.8%, and food products gained 5.3%. By segment, catering revenue increased 1.4%, while retail sales of goods rose 0.5%. Online retail sales of goods increased 4.6% in the first seven months. On a monthly basis, retail sales rose 0.06%, following a 0.35% gain in the previous period. From January to July, total retail sales rose 1.2%, while sales excluding automobiles increased 2.7%. source: National Bureau of Statistics of China

Retail Sales in China increased 0.60 percent in July of 2026 over the same month in the previous year. Retail Sales YoY in China averaged 11.82 percent from 1993 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 37.40 percent in December of 1993 and a record low of -20.50 percent in January of 2020. This page provides - China Retail Sales YoY - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. China Retail Sales YoY - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on August of 2026.

Retail Sales in China increased 0.60 percent in July of 2026 over the same month in the previous year. Retail Sales YoY in China is expected to be 1.00 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the China Retail Sales YoY is projected to trend around 2.50 percent in 2027 and 2.00 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-07-15 02:00 AM
Retail Sales YoY
Jun 1% -0.6% -0.1% 0.2%
2026-08-17 07:00 AM
Retail Sales YoY
Jul 0.6% 1% 1.5% 1.5%
2026-09-15 02:00 AM
Retail Sales YoY
Aug 0.6%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Consumer Confidence 89.90 89.00 points May 2026
Consumer Spending 561234.70 538828.20 CNY Hundred Million Dec 2025
Disposable Personal Income 56502.00 54188.00 CNY Dec 2025
Gasoline Prices 0.97 0.95 USD/Liter Jul 2026
Retail Sales MoM 0.06 0.35 percent Jul 2026
Retail Sales YoY 0.60 1.00 percent Jul 2026


China Retail Sales YoY
In China, the year-over-year change in Retail sales compares the aggregated sales of retail goods and services during a certain month to the same month a year ago.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
0.60 1.00 37.40 -20.50 1993 - 2026 percent Monthly
Current Prices, NSA

News Stream
China Retail Sales Growth Unexpectedly Slows
China’s retail sales rose 0.6% year-on-year in July 2026, slowing from 1% growth in June and falling well short of expectations for a 1.5% increase. Weak big-ticket spending continued to weigh on consumption, with automobile sales plunging 17.0%. Excluding automobiles, retail sales rose 2.5%. Sales also declined for petroleum products (-7.6%), furniture (-8.8%), and building materials (-14.2%). In contrast, communication equipment sales jumped 20.4%, while tobacco and alcohol rose 6.0%, cosmetics increased 6.8%, and food products gained 5.3%. By segment, catering revenue increased 1.4%, while retail sales of goods rose 0.5%. Online retail sales of goods increased 4.6% in the first seven months. On a monthly basis, retail sales rose 0.06%, following a 0.35% gain in the previous period. From January to July, total retail sales rose 1.2%, while sales excluding automobiles increased 2.7%.
2026-08-17
China Retail Sales Post Surprise Rebound
China’s retail sales rose 1.0% year-on-year in June 2026, rebounding from a 0.6% decline in May and defying market expectations of a 0.1% fall. Communication equipment sales jumped 16.5%, while cosmetics increased 12.6%, tobacco and alcohol rose 12.1%, and food products went up 7.9%. These gains were partially offset by continued weakness in big-ticket spending, with automobile sales plunging 16.1%. Sales of home appliances (-8.7%), building materials (-10.5%), furniture (-6.6%), petroleum products (-5.1%), and gold and silver jewelry (-3.4%) also declined. By segment, catering revenue increased 1.2%, while retail sales of goods rose 0.9%. Retail sales excluding automobiles increased 3.0%. On a monthly basis, retail sales rose 0.4%, following a 0.2% decline in the previous period. In the first half of the year, retail sales increased 1.3%, while consumer goods sales excluding automobiles rose 2.8%.
2026-07-15
China Retail Sales Fall for First Time Since 2022
China’s retail sales fell 0.6% year-on-year in May 2026, the first decline since December 2022, following a 0.2% gain in April and defying expectations of a flat reading. The Labor Day holiday in early May failed to offset weak consumer spending, particularly for discretionary and big-ticket items, with automobile sales plunging 16.1%. Sales of home appliances and audiovisual equipment (-15.6%), building and decoration materials (-13.6%), gold and silver jewelry (-8.9%), furniture (-8.7%), and sports and entertainment products (-8.0%) also recorded notable declines. In contrast, sales of beverages (6.1%), tobacco and alcohol (4.8%), Chinese and Western medicines (4.0%), clothing (3.8%), and cosmetics (2.5%) increased. By segment, catering revenue rose 0.6%, while retail sales of goods fell 0.7%. Retail sales excluding automobiles increased 1.1%. On a monthly basis, retail sales fell 0.4%, following a 0.6% decline in April. For the January–May period, retail sales increased 1.4%.
2026-06-16