BEIJING, May 20 -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, saw steady expansion in April, official data showed on Tuesday.

Power use rose 4.7 percent year on year in April to 772.1 billion kilowatt-hours, according to the National Energy Administration.

In breakdown, power consumed by the primary and secondary industries gained 13.8 percent and 3 percent year on year, respectively, while that of the tertiary sector rose 9 percent.

The electricity consumption for urban and rural residents reached 93.6 billion kilowatt-hours, marking a year-on-year increase of 7 percent.

From January to April, the total power use climbed 3.1 percent to 3.16 trillion kilowatt-hours.