BEIJING — China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, recorded stable growth in the first seven months, official data showed on Aug 12.

The country's total power use increased 3.4 percent year-on-year in the January-July period, reaching 4.93 trillion kilowatt-hours, according to the National Energy Administration.

Power consumed by primary industries increased 11.1 percent year-on-year, and power used by secondary and tertiary industries rose 1.1 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively. Residents' power consumption saw a year-on-year increase of 12.5 percent.

In July alone, power consumption was recorded at 832.4 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 6.3 percent from a year ago. Electricity used in the primary sector climbed 14.3 percent, electricity used in the secondary sector was down 0.1 percent, and electricity used in the tertiary sector surged 11.5 percent.