BEIJING, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, registered double-digit expansion last month, official data showed on Friday.

Power use rose 10.4 percent year on year in October to 857.2 billion kilowatt-hours, according to the National Energy Administration.

Power consumed by the overall industrial sector rose 6.4 percent year on year, while the tertiary sector saw a 17.1 percent increase. Residents' electricity consumption totaled 115.5 billion kilowatt-hours, up 23.9 percent year on year.

From January to October, China's total power use climbed 5.1 percent to about 8.62 trillion kilowatt-hours.  ■