China’s Postal Sector Sees Steady Dual Growth in Business Volume and Revenue in First Seven Months of 2026

According to official updates from the State Post Bureau’s official WeChat account, China’s postal industry maintained steady expansion with year-on-year increases in both total business volume and operating revenue across the first seven months of 2026.

From January to July, the sector recorded a cumulative operating revenue of 1.08 trillion yuan, excluding direct business income from postal savings banks, representing a 6.1 per cent year-on-year rise. The revenue of express delivery businesses contributed substantially to the growth, hitting 901.77 billion yuan with an annual increase of 7.4 per cent over the period. In terms of delivery volume, the postal industry handled 127.44 billion parcels in the first seven months, up 4.2 per cent year on year, while express delivery volume reached 117.47 billion pieces, a year-on-year growth of 4.8 per cent.

July alone delivered solid growth momentum for the industry. The postal sector achieved 154.3 billion yuan in monthly operating revenue, rising 6.4 per cent compared with the same period last year. Express delivery revenue for the month stood at 130.37 billion yuan, marking an 8.1 per cent annual increase. Meanwhile, the monthly delivery volume of the postal industry totalled 18.54 billion pieces, with express delivery volume reaching 17.08 billion pieces, posting respective year-on-year growth rates of 4.3 per cent and 4.1 per cent.

Breakdown data by business category reveals distinct structural changes in China’s express delivery market during the January-July period. Intra-city express delivery volume totalled 8.51 billion pieces, down 8.1 per cent year on year. By contrast, inter-city express delivery volume surged to 106.48 billion pieces, climbing 6.0 per cent annually. Cross-border and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan-related delivery volume registered stable growth at 2.48 billion pieces, with a year-on-year increase of 5.3 per cent.

Inter-city business remains the absolute mainstream of the domestic express market, accounting for 90.7 per cent of the total express delivery volume in the first seven months. Intra-city delivery took up 7.2 per cent of the overall volume, while cross-border and regional businesses accounted for 2.1 per cent. Compared with the same period last year, the proportion of intra-city delivery volume dropped by 1.1 percentage points, the share of inter-city business rose by 1.1 percentage points, and the ratio of cross-border and regional delivery volume remained largely unchanged.

Regional development patterns of the postal and express industry continue to show differentiated growth characteristics. Eastern China dominated the national market from January to July, claiming 73.7 per cent of the country’s express revenue and 68.8 per cent of total delivery volume. Central China contributed 15.6 per cent of express revenue and 20.8 per cent of delivery volume, while Western China accounted for 10.7 per cent of revenue and 10.4 per cent of volume.

Regional structural optimisation continues to advance across the industry. The eastern region saw mild declines in its market share, with its proportion of express revenue down 0.3 percentage points and delivery volume share down 2.7 percentage points year on year. Central and western regions achieved continuous market share expansion. The central region’s revenue and volume proportions increased by 0.1 and 1.4 percentage points respectively, and the western region registered rises of 0.2 percentage points in revenue share and 1.3 percentage points in volume share.

Market concentration in China’s express delivery sector maintains a stable and high level. The CR8 revenue concentration index stood at 87.0 per cent in the first seven months, remaining flat with the January-June reading. The CR8 volume concentration index edged up slightly by 0.1 percentage point to 96.2 per cent, reflecting sustained stable market operation and orderly competition within the industry.