BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, saw steady expansion in May, official data showed on Friday.

Power use rose 4.4 percent year on year in May to 809.6 billion kilowatt-hours, according to the National Energy Administration.

Power consumed by the primary and secondary industries rose 8.4 percent and 2.1 percent year on year, respectively, and power consumed by the tertiary sector increased 9.4 percent.

The electricity consumption of the country's residents totaled 101.3 billion kilowatt-hours -- a year-on-year increase of 9.6 percent.

From January to May, China's total power use climbed 3.4 percent to nearly 3.97 trillion kilowatt-hours.

During the period, power consumption in the animal husbandry and agriculture sectors rose 15.5 percent and 7.2 percent year on year, respectively, according to the China Electricity Council.

Electricity consumption in emerging industries maintained rapid growth, with power use related to charging and battery swapping services rising 45.1 percent year on year nationwide. ■