BEIJING — China's home-appliance sector saw steady expansion in the first quarter of the year, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows.

During the period, the industry's operating revenue gained 51.9 percent year-on-year to 378.94 billion yuan (about $58.59 billion), according to the ministry.

The combined profits reached 20.12 billion yuan during the period, up 76.5 percent from a year earlier, the ministry said.

In the first quarter, China's outputs of refrigerators and washing machines hit 21.58 million units and 21.45 million units, respectively, both registering an increase of over 50 percent year-on-year, official data shows.