China’s postal industry has demonstrated robust growth in the first nine months of 2026, with parcel delivery volume reaching a significant milestone. According to data released by the State Post Bureau, the cumulative express delivery volume from January to September reached 151.3 billion pieces, marking a year-on-year increase of 4.3 percent.
Key Financial and Operational Metrics
Beyond parcel volume, the broader postal industry also saw substantial growth. Total business revenue for the postal sector, excluding direct income from postal savings bank operations, amounted to 1,389.31 billion yuan, up 5.8% compared to the same period last year. Within this, the express delivery segment contributed significantly, with revenue totaling 1,163.44 billion yuan, an increase of 7.2% year-on-year.
Overall, the total postal industry business volume reached 164.13 billion pieces, a 3.7% increase from the previous year. The express delivery sector, a key driver of this growth, handled 151.3 billion pieces, reflecting the aforementioned 4.3% rise.
Monthly Performance Snapshot (September)
Looking at the monthly figures, September alone saw the postal industry achieve 158.86 billion yuan in revenue, a 4.1% increase. Express delivery revenue for the month was 134.52 billion yuan, up 5.6% year-on-year. In terms of volume, the postal industry handled 18.66 billion pieces in September, with a 1.7% increase, while express delivery volume reached 17.23 billion pieces, showing a 2.1% growth.
Breakdown of Express Delivery Types
An analysis of delivery types between January and September reveals interesting trends. Same-city express delivery volume totaled 11.0 billion pieces, experiencing a slight decrease of 7.3%. In contrast, inter-city express delivery saw a substantial increase of 5.4%, reaching 137.18 billion pieces. International and cross-border (including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) express delivery volume also grew, albeit at a slower pace, with 3.12 billion pieces, a 2.7% increase.
The share of these segments in the total express delivery volume for the first nine months indicates that inter-city deliveries dominate the market at 90.7%, followed by same-city at 7.3%, and international/cross-border at 2.0%. Notably, the proportion of same-city deliveries decreased by 0.9 percentage points year-on-year, while inter-city deliveries increased by 1.0 percentage point.
Regional Performance Insights
Geographically, the eastern region continues to be the dominant force in China’s express delivery market. From January to September, the eastern region accounted for 73.6% of express delivery revenue and 68.8% of the volume. The central region represented 15.6% of revenue and 20.8% of volume, while the western region contributed 10.8% of revenue and 10.4% of volume.
There were shifts in these proportions compared to the previous year. The eastern region saw a slight decrease in its share of both revenue (0.2 percentage points) and volume (2.3 percentage points). The central region’s revenue share remained relatively stable, but its volume share increased by 1.2 percentage points. The western region experienced growth in both revenue share (0.2 percentage points) and volume share (1.1 percentage points), indicating a trend of increasing development in these areas.
Industry Concentration and Customer Satisfaction
The report also touched upon industry concentration and customer satisfaction. The brand concentration index for express delivery revenue (CR8) stood at 86.7, a slight decrease of 0.2 from January-August. Similarly, the volume-based CR8 index was 96.1, down 0.1.
In terms of customer experience, the satisfaction score for express delivery services in the third quarter was 85.3 points. Furthermore, the 72-hour delivery success rate for key regions across the country reached 86.81%.
