China's Software Industry Jan–May 2026: Revenue and Export Growth Accelerate

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the latest industry operation data, outlining the software sector's performance in the first five months of 2026.

Overall market steady progress: revenue and export rise

From January to May 2026, China's software and information technology services sector showed steady growth, with total software business revenue reaching 62,451 billion yuan, up 10.3% year‑on‑year. Profit grew more slowly to 7,173 billion yuan, a 2.2% increase. Export revenue hit US$276.5 billion, up 12.8% and becoming a key growth driver.

Sub‑sector diversification and structural optimization

Software product revenue was 13,608 billion yuan (+6.9%), accounting for 21.8% of total industry revenue. Core product lines performed well: basic software 809 billion yuan (+10.0%) and industrial software 1,237 billion yuan (+8.6%). Information‑technology services generated 42,761 billion yuan (+11.3%), representing 68.5% of total revenue and acting as the main growth engine.

Cloud computing and big‑data services together earned 7,032 billion yuan (+12.1%). Integrated‑circuit design revenue surged 19.2% to 1,759 billion yuan. E‑commerce platform technology services reached 4,591 billion yuan (+5.1%). Information‑security products and services delivered 1,102 billion yuan (+6.5%), while embedded‑system software posted 4,979 billion yuan (+12.5%).

Regional development shows clear gradients, central region leads

All four major regions posted year‑on‑year growth: East 10.5%, Central 12.9% (the fastest), West 8.8%, Northeast 5.9%. The eastern region still dominates, contributing 84.7% of national software revenue. The Beijing‑Tianjin‑Hebei area grew 9.9% and the Yangtze River Delta 11.6%; together they account for nearly 60% of total revenue.

At the provincial level, Guangdong, Beijing, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Shandong remain the top five, with growth rates of 10.7%, 10.0%, 11.0%, 12.1% and 8.6% respectively, continuing to drive high‑quality development.