BEIJING — China's fiscal revenue fell 2.6 percent in the first seven months of 2024 from a year earlier, narrowing slightly from a 2.8 percent slide in the first half, finance ministry data showed on Monday, as the economy struggles for a pick-up in growth.

Fiscal expenditure grew 2.5 percent in the January–July period, versus a 2 percent increase in the first half.

For July alone, fiscal revenue fell 1.9 percent on year, narrowing from a 2.6 percent decline in June, while fiscal spending jumped 6.6 percent, compared with a 3 percent fall in June, according to Reuters' calculations based on the ministry's data.

Fiscal revenue has been running at low levels, partly due to a high base last year, state media reported, citing the finance ministry.

The ministry said in a statement that macro-policy implementation in the coming months and the fading year-earlier effects will "underpin fiscal revenue growth." It also expected fiscal spending to steadily rise.

July economic data, including a fall in household loans and a slowdown in industrial output growth, points to underlying demand weakness and the need for bolder stimulus measures, analysts have said.

China's leaders signaled at a key policy meeting at the end of July that fiscal support for the rest of the year will "focus on consumption," days after they unveiled plans to support trade-ins for consumer goods.