BEIJING - China's retail sales grew 12.5 percent year on year to 2.13 trillion yuan ($348.36 billion) in May, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Friday.

China's Q1 retail sales up 12%?

In the first five months, China's retail sales grew 12.1 percent year on year to 10.30 trillion yuan. The growth rate was slightly higher than the 12-percent growth rate in the first four months.

Retail sales in rural areas outpaced those in cities and towns.

Sales in rural areas rose 13.9 percent in the first five months from the same period last year. Retail sales in urban areas climbed 12.3 percent year on year in the same period.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, increased 2.5 percent year on year in May, up from 1.8 percent in the previous month, the NBS said on Tuesday.