China reports policy-led record highs in sales of home appliances, communication devices in 2025

BEIJING -- Driven by China's consumer goods trade-in policy, domestic retail sales of home appliances and communication equipment both surpassed 1 trillion yuan (about $142.84 billion) to reach historic highs last year, official data showed on Tuesday.

In 2025, retail sales of home appliances neared 1.17 trillion yuan, and those of communication devices approached 1.01 trillion yuan, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

A total of 91 million digital products and over 129 million home appliances across 12 categories were purchased through the trade-in program in 2025, data from the commerce ministry has revealed. Retail sales of home appliances and audio devices rose 11 percent, and those of communication equipment increased 20.9 percent.

The trade-in initiative has facilitated China's industrial upgrading and green transition. Of all home appliances traded in last year, products with top-tier energy or water efficiency ratings accounted for over 90 percent of total sales.

Over 177,800 new types of home appliance products across 12 categories were introduced in 2025 as enterprises leveraged advanced technologies, up 28.89 percent year-on-year, according to the ministry.

The policy has also significantly optimized the domestic consumption structure. Mid-to-high-end smartphones accounted for 72.5 percent of all digital products purchased through the program last year, and AI-equipped phones made up 83 percent of all mobile phone sales. The program reached more than 15 million consumers aged over 60, fostering the "silver economy."

China began implementing the consumer goods trade-in program in 2024. In 2025, over 360 million applications were filed for consumer goods trade-in subsidies, driving sales of related products to exceed 2.6 trillion yuan, which lifted China's annual retail sales of consumer goods by 0.6 percentage points, official data shows.