China’s retail sales picked up notably in February 2026, signaling a modest improvement in consumer demand after a softer end to last year. Year-over-year retail sales growth rose to 2.8% in February, up from 0.9% in December 2025, according to data updated on 16 March 2026.
The figures are calculated on a year-over-year basis, with the current reading comparing February 2026 to February 2025, while the previous figure compared December 2025 to December 2024. The acceleration suggests that consumer spending momentum, which had cooled into late 2025, showed signs of recovery at the start of 2026.
While the pace of growth remains relatively moderate by historical standards, the improvement in February will be closely watched by investors and policymakers as an indicator of the underlying strength of domestic demand in the world’s second-largest economy.
