BEIJING — Revenues of China's software sector declined in the first quarter (Q1) of this year, weighed down by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), official data showed.

The industry raked in a total of 1.4 trillion yuan (about $198 billion) in revenue, down 6.2 percent year-on-year, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The decrease narrowed by 5.4 percentage points from that in the first two months.

In breakdown, revenues from software products and information technology services went down 10.2 percent and 2.3 percent year-on-year, respectively.

Profits dived 13.1 percent year-on-year to 166.7 billion yuan in Q1, expanding from an 11.8-percent decrease in the Jan-Feb period.

The sector's exports retreated 13.2 percent from a year earlier to $9.6 billion.

The ministry attributed sharp declines to the COVID-19 epidemic, which dramatically slowed software businesses.

The sector employed 6.56 million people during the first three months, up 1.7 percent, while their gross payroll fell 2.7 percent year-on-year.