BEIJING — China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, maintained stable growth in the first 10 months of the year, official data showed on Nov 14.

Power use increased 3.8 percent year-on-year to nearly 7.18 trillion kilowatt-hours in the period, according to the National Energy Administration.

Power consumption in the primary industry grew 9.9 percent year-on-year in the first 10 months. Electricity consumed by the secondary and tertiary industries increased 1.7 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively. Residents' power consumption registered a year-on-year increase of 12.6 percent.

In October alone, China's power consumption was 683.4 billion kilowatt-hours, up 2.2 percent year-on-year. Power use in the primary and secondary industries rose 6.5 percent and 3 percent, respectively, while power use in the tertiary sector dropped 2 percent.