China's retail sales growth accelerated during the first six months of the year, boosted by strong figures in the online sector, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Wednesday.

Retail sales grew 12.1 percent year on year to 12.42 trillion yuan (2.02 trillion U.S. dollars) in the January-June period, quickening from the 12-percent growth registered for the first quarter, the NBS said. The actual growth rate was 10.8 percent with inflation deducted.

In June, retail sales saw month-on-month expansion of 0.96 percent.

Sales in the online sector witnessed strong growth in the first six months, surging 48.3 percent year on year to 1.14 trillion yuan.

Income from the catering sector increased 10.1 percent to 1.3 trillion yuan, while sales of consumer goods amounted to 11.12 trillion yuan, up 12.4 percent year on year, the NBS said.

Retail sales growth in rural areas continued to outpace that in urban China. In January-June period, sales in rural regions rose 13.2 percent from a year ago to 1.69 trillion yuan, while that in urban areas climbed 12 percent.