China’s software and information technology services industry is demonstrating robust growth, according to new data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). In the first three quarters of 2026, the sector reported a total software business revenue of 118,031 billion yuan, marking a significant year-on-year increase of 8.4%.
Key Financial Highlights
The overall positive trend is further supported by a steady rise in profits and a strong performance in software exports. The industry’s total profit reached 13,300 billion yuan, up 1.6% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, software business exports saw a considerable surge of 12.2%, amounting to 51.94 billion US dollars (approximately 346.417 billion yuan).
Segmented Growth Drivers
Breaking down the revenue streams, several key segments contributed to the overall expansion:
- Software Products: Revenue from software products grew by 5% year-on-year, accounting for 20.8% of the industry’s total income. Notably, foundational software products experienced a 7.8% increase, while industrial software products saw a 7.3% rise.
- Information Technology Services: This segment continued its upward trajectory with a 9.3% year-on-year growth, making up 69.5% of the total industry revenue. Key contributors within this segment include:
- Cloud computing and big data services, which collectively grew by 10.2% and represented 17.9% of the information technology services revenue.
- Integrated circuit design, which showed an impressive growth of 23.3%.
- E-commerce platform technology services, with a 4.9% increase.
- Information Security and Embedded Systems: Revenue from information security products and services increased by 5.4%. Embedded system software also maintained steady growth with a 10.3% rise.
Regional Performance
The MIIT data also highlights regional variations in software business revenue:
- The eastern region continued to lead, with software business revenue growing by 8.3% and accounting for a substantial 83.5% of the national total.
- The central and western regions also showed strong performance, with revenue increases of 13.3% and 8.4%, respectively. The northeastern region recorded a more modest growth of 4.3%.
- Within the eastern region, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area saw a 7.2% increase in software business revenue, while the Yangtze River Delta region achieved 9.9% growth. These two areas represented 26.6% and 29.8% of the national software business revenue, respectively.
Top Performing Provinces
Several provinces stand out for their significant contributions to the national software business revenue:
- Beijing reported a 6.8% year-on-year increase.
- Guangdong saw an 8.9% growth.
- Jiangsu achieved a 9.3% increase.
- Shanghai recorded a 10% growth.
- Shandong experienced a 5.8% rise.
These five regions continue to be the frontrunners in China’s dynamic software industry.
