BEIJING, July 1 -- China's service sector activity improved in June, an official monthly survey showed Wednesday.

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the non-manufacturing sector expanded to 53.8 in June, up from 53.2 for May, and 53.4 for April, according to a report released jointly by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

The rise ended three months of consecutive declines since March, when the non-manufacturing PMI began to drop as services that had boomed during the China Lunar New Year holiday in February waned.

Non-manufacturing PMI tracks the business activities of the services and construction sectors. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 represents contraction.

Zhao Qinghe, a senior analyst with the NBS, said June's reading indicated the non-manufacturing sector maintained expansion at a faster pace with improved market demand.

The service sector sub-index gained slightly to 52.3 in June, up from 52 in May, according to NBS.

Zhao attributed the faster expansion to growth in service industries of finance, Internet, software and information technology, telecommunication, broadcasting and postal services.

The sub-indices of business activities and new orders for the construction industry in June both rose 4.2 and 2.8 percentage points, respectively, indicating continued steady growth in market demand.

The expansion of activities in the sector was due to warming of the real estate market since March, as well as infrastructure construction projects, Zhao said.