There are now as many internet users in China as there are people in Europe

China now has 731 million people online -- or nearly the entire population of Europe, according to a global survey.

The China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC) says that the majority of the country's internet users are online via their smartphones, at 695 million.

And of those, a huge proportion use their phones for payment, both online and in real life stores. 470 million of them, or 67.5 percent, used their phones to pay for goods online, and half used their phones to pay in real life.

Mobile use has risen sharply in the past decade in China:

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Last year, China hit a big milestone, having half of its population connected.