BEIJING -- China spent 21.51 billion yuan ($2.99 billion) for science popularization efforts in 2023, marking a year-on-year increase of 12.6 percent, according to data released by the Ministry of Science and Technology on Monday.

This is the first time that expenditure in the sector surpassed 20 billion yuan, according to the ministry. The per capita expenditure stood at 5.76 yuan, a slight rise of 0.46 yuan from 2022.

The data also indicate a continuous growth in the science popularization workforce, which includes full-time staff, part-time contributors, and volunteers.

The total number of dedicated and part-time science popularization personnel reached 2.16 million, marking a 7.99 percent increase from 2022. The number of registered volunteers reached 8.05 million, reflecting a 17.16 percent increase.

Infrastructure for science popularization in China has continued to expand, with the country now home to 1,779 science and technology museums, an increase of 96 compared to 2022.

Various science popularization activities were held in 2023, with enthusiastic public participation. Over 1.3 million online and offline science lectures were organized, attracting 1.93 billion participants. In addition, 514 million visitors attended 107,500 related exhibitions.