BEIJING — China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, further improved last month thanks to the country's efforts in boosting growth amid the COVID-19 slowdown.

Power use increased 7.7 percent year-on-year in August this year, up by 5.4 percentage points compared to that in July, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told a press conference.

Power consumption by the primary, secondary and tertiary industries surged 12.1 percent, 9.9 percent, and 7.5 percent, respectively, from the same period last year, the NDRC said.

Meanwhile, power generation by the country's major industrial firms increased 6.8 percent year on year, widening by 4.9 percentage points compared to that of July, data showed.

In the first eight months of the year, the country's power use and generation rose 0.5 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively.