Postal, express delivery sector posts robust growth in first three quarters

China's postal and express delivery sector sustained robust growth in the first three quarters of 2025, reflecting the industry's expanding scale, improving service quality, and growing regional balance, according to the State Post Bureau of China on Monday.

Official data showed that the country handled 145.08 billion express parcels from January to September, up 17.2 percent year-on-year, while express delivery revenue rose 8.9 percent to 1.1 trillion yuan ($152 billion). Overall postal business revenue reached 1.3 trillion yuan, with a total of 158.26 billion items delivered across all postal services, marking a 7.7 percent and 15 percent increase respectively.

The industry maintained stable operations and played an active role in supporting employment, enterprises, and market stability, the bureau said. Average express delivery prices rebounded slightly in the third quarter, increasing by 0.5 percent from the previous quarter to 7.55 yuan per parcel in September.

Service quality also improved notably, with faster delivery times and higher customer satisfaction levels reported nationwide. Major courier companies have placed greater emphasis on last-mile delivery and user experience, responding to calls for fairer competition and better service standards.

Intercity express delivery remained the main growth driver, with 130.17 billion parcels handled, up 18.6 percent, contributing 96 percent of total business growth. Same-city and overseas deliveries also expanded by 4.3 percent and 13.7 percent year-on-year, respectively.

Western areas such as the autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Xizang emerged as new growth highlights, supported by improved local delivery networks and free-shipping programs. The eastern region remained the core driver, contributing over 60 percent of the national total, with strong performance in Hebei, Shandong and Shanghai.

The industry also accelerated innovation, as new logistics parks went into operation and integration deepened between express delivery and transport networks such as railways and airports. The use of drones and autonomous vehicles expanded quickly, while customized services and overseas warehouse networks continued to grow.

At a national postal conference earlier this year, the State Post Bureau set the 2025 targets at 190 billion express parcels and 1.5 trillion yuan in revenue, following 2024's record of 174.5 billion parcels. As of Oct 11, this year's express deliveries had already surpassed 150 billion — 37 days earlier than in 2024 — reflecting the industry's robust and sustained growth.