Business activity in China's non-manufacturing sector contracted in July, with the official non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) coming in at 49, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a figure below 50 signals contraction.

The latest print missed the Investing.com consensus forecast of a flat reading at 50, and was down from 50.2 recorded in June.

By industry, the services business activity index fell to 49.3 from 50.4 in June, while the construction business activity index declined to 47 from 49.

Among the main sub-indices, the new orders index slipped to 44.4 from 48, the input price index was unchanged at 49.7, the employment index edged down to 45.4 from 45.8, while the business activity expectation index rose to 55.4 from 55.3 in June.