China's record express delivery volume marks industry milestone

BEIJING -- China's courier sector reached a historic milestone with the express delivery volume in 2024 surpassing the 150-billion-parcel mark for the first time, according to the State Post Bureau (SPB).

The record figure was captured live on Sunday at the SPB safety center, with the number "150,000,000,000" lighting up the screen of the China Express Delivery Big Data Platform.

A decade after the country's total parcel volume crossed the 10-billion mark for the first time in 2014, China's express delivery has witnessed tremendous growth as the booming courier market has remained prosperous and active.

Marking the symbolic 150-billionth delivery on Sunday was a shipment of a box of Huaniu apples, a specialty of Tianshui city in the northwest Chinese province of Gansu, destined for a customer in the southwestern city of Chongqing who had placed the order just hours earlier on an e-commerce platform.

Fueled by favorable policies promoting domestic consumption and expanding demand, the express delivery sector has enjoyed rapid growth, while national initiatives, such as policies encouraging large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-in programs for consumer goods, have stimulated an active and robust marketplace, particularly across underserved rural regions.

The growth has also been bolstered by advances in logistics technology and infrastructure, highlighted by investments in unmanned vehicles, drones, and automated sorting systems, all of which have elevated both network capacity and service quality.

Reflecting the sheer scale of demand, the country now averages more than 5,400 parcels per second, with daily peaks exceeding 729 million and monthly transaction volumes above 13 billion, the latest SPB data showed.

Express delivery has also become an integral part of everyday life, with the average Chinese citizen receiving over 100 parcels annually.

Nowadays, from essential household items to large appliances, customers can expect near-instant delivery, often on the same day of ordering.

According to the SPB, expansion of the country's express delivery extends beyond urban centers, with regions in western and central China recording delivery volumes above the national average.

From Xinjiang melon seeds to Tibetan yak meat, unique regional products from across the country now reach a vast network of consumers, connecting rural producers with urban buyers and helping drive rural economic growth.

This expansion of e-commerce and express delivery in central and western regions has also played a crucial role in bolstering local economies and creating a more balanced national development model, according to the bureau.