The number of Internet users in China hit 513 million by the end of December 2011, according to a report released by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) on Monday.

The Internet population rate rose to 38.3 percent, up 4 percentage points from the same period in 2010, increasing by 55.8 million Internet users.

The number of mobile phone Internet users also increased, reaching 356 million by the end of December 2011, up 17.5 percent from the previous year.

The report also shows there were nearly 2.3 million websites in China by the end of 2011, up 20 percent from 2010.

The number of group purchasing users achieved a 244.8 percent rise in 2011 compare to the previous year, reaching 64.65 million, despite a decline in the number of the websites offering the service.

(China Daily January 16, 2012)