Newsroom
9-10-2008 (back to newsroom)World Post Day 2008
Posts performing well; parcel volumes continue to grow, while letters remain stable
Berne (Switzerland), 8 October 2008
Over the past five years, mail and parcel volumes defied predictions to remain buoyant, according to the latest figures obtained by the Universal Postal Union.
With 6.5 billion items in 2007, domestic parcel volumes were up 7.9% on 2002. Over the same period, international volumes rose 1.4% to reach 44 million items in 2007. The increases are thought to be due in part to the growth of e-commerce, with the majority of online purchases still remaining within borders.
Worldwide domestic letter-post volumes grew by 0.3% between 2002 and 2007, reaching 433 billion pieces last year. Generally, advertising mail has a positive impact on mail volumes and is estimated to make up more than 30% of overall volumes. Meanwhile, international letter-post, which faces stiff competition from new technologies, experienced a 2.6% volume decrease during the same period, with a total of 5.5 billion items in 2007.
The level of development among Posts is not the same worldwide. In his message for World Post Day, celebrated tomorrow 9 October, Edouard Dayan, UPU Director General, is calling upon all member countries of the Universal Postal Union, and their operators designated to provide the universal service, to make a firm commitment, with all other postal sector players, to modernizing postal services, so that they continue to contribute fully to economic and social development.
“Owing to their universality, postal services provide a link between people all over the globe. This is especially important at a time when millions of people do not enjoy the right to communication. In a constantly changing world, postal services make it possible to establish and maintain this contact and this link, both of which are vital,” he said.
Created in 1874, the UPU is this year celebrating its 60th anniversary as a UN specialized agency. The international organization responsible for international postal services promotes the development of postal markets, ensures the interconnection of its 191 member countries’ postal networks and supports their efforts to modernize postal services and improve the quality of service.
Other key figures for 2007
Latin America experienced the highest increase in overall domestic and international parcel volumes compared with 2006 (+38.6%).
For letters, the largest increases were seen in Arab countries, where domestic volumes rose by 17.4% and international ones increased by 11.7% over the previous year.
Postal services worldwide employ more than 5.5 million people.
Some 660,000 post offices make up the largest physical distribution network in the world. Almost half of these post offices are managed by entities other than the designated operator.
62% of designated operators (58% in developing countries and 86% in industrialized countries) offer online services.
11% of designated operators (6% in developing countries and 39% in industrialized countries) offer postage through the Internet.
10% of designated operators (5% in developing countries and 39% in industrialized countries) offer electronic signature services.
14% of designated operators (6% in developing countries and 61% in industrialized countries) offer online change-of-address services.
53% of designated operators offer an online track and trace service (48% in developing countries and 82% in industrialized countries).
Note to editors:
* Since 1875, the UPU has been compiling postal statistics based on data obtained from the designated operators providing the universal postal services on behalf of member countries. For 2007, 168 countries and their territories responded to the UPU questionnaire. The 2007 figures are based on the information provided by participating Posts and UPU estimates.
** The UPU Director General’s World Post Day message is available at the following link (also included is an audio version in English and French): www.upu.int/world_post_day/en/index.shtml
About the UPU
The UPU, based in Berne (Switzerland), is the primary forum for cooperation between Posts. In addition to maintaining a genuinely universal network that provides modern products and services, it establishes the rules for international mail exchanges among its 191 members and makes recommendations to stimulate mail volume growth and to improve the quality of service for customers. In 2007, 5.5 million employees processed and delivered 433 billion domestic letter-post items, some 5.5 billion international items and over 6 billion ordinary parcels. Some 660,000 postal establishments make the postal network the largest physical distribution network in the world. The UPU this year celebrates 60 years as a specialized agency of the United Nations.
CONTACTS
Laurent Widmer
+41 31 350 35 95
laurent.widmer@upu.int