BEIJING -- China's software and information technology service sector sustained stable growth in the first five months of this year, with revenue from software-related businesses up 10.6 percent year-on-year, according to official data.

The sector's revenue amounted to 3.62 trillion yuan ($541.4 billion) during the five-month period, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed.

Companies in the sector raked in 374.7 billion yuan in combined profits in the period, up 1.9 percent year-on-year, reversing a 1.4-percent decline registered in the first four months.

During the January-May period, China's software exports amounted to $20.4 billion, up 2.7 percent year-on-year, data showed.