BEIJING - The Chinese government spent 1.15 trillion yuan ($180 billion), or two thirds of the central budget, on improving people's livelihoods in the first half of the year, according to a government report submitted to China's top legislature on Thursday.

The funds were mainly used to boost education, social security, job creation, health care and affordable housing, according to Finance Minister Xie Xuren's report presented during the on-going session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

Also, 28 percent of transfer payments from the central government to local governments went toward such projects, said the report.

Education expenditures reached 610 billion yuan and 576 billion yuan was invested in the social security and job creation sectors.

Xie said the government will expand a pilot pension insurance program for 800 million rural residents to cover 60 percent of the country's rural population.

Xie expects national fiscal revenue growth to slow in coming months after jumping 30.5 percent from a year earlier to hit 6.67 trillion yuan in the first seven months.