Retail sales up 13.1 pct in 2013

China's retail sales grew 13.1 percent year on year to 23.44 trillion yuan (3.84 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2013, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Monday.

Urban consumption stood at 20.25 trillion yuan in 2013, up 12.9 percent year on year. Rural residents spent 3.2 trillion yuan, up 14.6 percent year on year.

Income from the catering sector increased 9 percent year on year to 2.54 trillion yuan in 2013, while retail sales of consumer goods amounted to 20.9 trillion yuan, up 13.6 percent from 2012.

Month-on-month growth of retail sales for December fell slightly to 13.6 percent, NBS data showed.

In December, the Ministry of Commerce predicted the country's retail sales, a key indicator for consumer spending, would see year-on-year growth by more than 13 percent for 2013.