China's Light Industry Value-Added Grows 5% in First Half of 2026

Data from the China Light Industry Council showed that in the first half of 2026, value-added output of light industry above a designated size grew 5.0% year-on-year, achieving operating revenue of 11.2 trillion yuan. Among 91 major light industrial products, output of 54 products increased, with 14 products including lithium-ion batteries and refrigerators maintaining double-digit growth.

Benefiting from consumption-boosting initiatives such as the special action to stimulate consumption, the light industrial consumer market continued to expand. In the first half of the year, retail sales of 11 categories of light industrial goods exceeded 4.3 trillion yuan, up 4.4% year-on-year. Retail sales of high-efficiency home appliances grew by more than 30%, while retail sales of wearable smart devices more than doubled.

Export growth of light industrial goods was notable. In the first half of the year, exports of light industrial goods reached 487.04 billion USD, up 6.7% year-on-year. Fourteen industries, including home appliances and batteries, posted export values exceeding 10 billion USD.