BEIJING, May 2 -- China extended more inclusive loans to small and micro enterprises in the first quarter of 2024, aiming to facilitate their business, according to data from the central bank.

By the end of March, outstanding inclusive loans granted to small and micro enterprises totaled 33.41 trillion yuan (about 4.7 trillion U.S. dollars), up 20.3 percent from a year earlier, the People's Bank of China said.

Outstanding loans provided to rural households for production and operations increased 17.1 percent year on year to 9.95 trillion yuan, and outstanding loans to startups rose 0.2 percent year on year to 293.5 billion yuan.

The outstanding balance of student loans increased 22.5 percent year on year to 212.9 billion yuan, and outstanding loans to people lifted out of poverty increased 11 percent year on year to 1.2 trillion yuan, according to the data.