IPC says that postal operators ” efforts to increase efficiency” has “paid off”
According to preliminary results published by International Post Corporation (IPC), postal operators worldwide saw revenue increase by 2.1% on average in 2024 , mainly driven by parcels.
Holger Winklbauer, CEO of IPC, commented on the results: “Preliminary results show that posts’ efforts to increase efficiency while at the same time to capture the e-commerce growth, paid off. The overall economic uncertainty continues however to put pressure on posts and calls for posts to pursue their transformation.”
While global letter mail volumes dropped, reflecting continuing digital substitution, parcel volumes are rebounding, with online shopping and cross-border e-commerce as key drivers. Regulatory obligations (universal service mandates, price caps in some regions) continue to constrain pricing flexibility and add burden, especially for legacy mail networks and in rural areas.
The industry is responding by diversifying services (e.g. financial services, logistics) and investing in automation and digital platforms to increase efficiencies and improve service. Rising cross-border online shopping is lifting parcel flows. Posts are expanding e-commerce services to capture this trend. In Asia Pacific, a growing middle class and urbanisation are driving parcel demand.
Energy and labour costs are high. Despite wage pressures and fuel prices, parcel unit prices have been under competitive pressure. Posts are introducing automation and optimising networks to contain costs.
The industry outlook is cautiously positive, though success will depend on managing costs and sustaining parcel momentum. Potential upside comes from further e-commerce acceleration and new service offerings (same-day delivery, digital/identity services).
The complete 2024 results will be presented in the IPC Global Postal Industry Report, which will be published in November 2025. The report will include a comprehensive and detailed review of the postal industry, covering over 50 postal operators worldwide and analysing key market trends. A publicly available summary, the IPC GPIR Key Findings, will also be published in November.
For more information on the IPC Global Postal Industry Report, please visit: http://www.ipc.be/services/markets-and-regulations/market-intelligence/global-postal-industry-report.
Please note averages for 2022 and 2023 are sourced from the IPC Global Postal Industry Report 2024 and are based on 49 posts. Averages for 2024 based on an unweighted mean of results of the following 32 posts: An Post, bpostgroup, Canada Post, China Post, Correios Brasil, Correos, Correos de Chile, Croatian Post, CTT Portugal Post, DHL Group, Iceland Post, Japan Post, Latvian Post, Le Groupe La Poste, Lithuania Post, Magyar Posta, Omniva, Österreichische Post, Pos Indonesia, Pos Malaysia, POST Luxembourg, Posta Slovenije, Poste Italiane, Posten Bring, Posti, PostNL, PostNord, Slovenska Posta, Swiss Post, Thailand Post, Ukrposhta, United States Postal Service.
