Some 15.4 percent of a sample of China's recent online whistle-blowers were mistresses who used the Internet to expose corrupt officials after their relationships ended, a new report on the country's online anti-corruption efforts has found.

Other informants included businessmen, journalists, fellow officials and Internet users, with merchants accounting for the largest share of 26.9 percent, said the report, carried out by the Center for Public Opinion Monitoring under the Legal Daily.

The report, published on Legal Daily's website in September, is based on analysis of 26 typical cases of online real-name reporting that occurred in China from the start of 2013 until September. They were mostly cases brought to light through popular Chinese social media platforms Sina Weibo and Tianya.