The postal sector continues to be reshaped by growing parcel demand, declining mail volumes and rapid digital transformation. E-commerce remains the primary growth driver, while operators increasingly diversify into logistics, financial services and digital services. Investment in technology, sustainability and customer experience is becoming more important as competition intensifies, and business models evolve.

On average, postal revenue grew by 1.0% in 2025. The average EBIT margin across posts was -1.7% in 2025, which is lower than in 2024 (-0.9%).
Revenues for mail business units improved in 2025 with many postal operators focusing on cost-control measures, such as automation and optimising logistics networks. On average, mail revenue increased by 0.6% in 2025, which is lower than the 1.8% increase seen in 2024. The average EBIT margin for mail was 0.9% in 2025, slightly better than the 0.4% average EBIT margin in 2024. Mail volume decreased by 8.1% in 2025, which follows long-term structural trends, as communication becomes increasingly digitised.

Despite geopolitical tensions, e-commerce continues to grow and in 2025, posts’ parcel volumes followed the increase in global e-commerce sales, with an average parcel volume growth of 2.2%. This is slightly lower than the 4.3% volume increase in 2024. The average growth for parcel division revenue declined to 0.6% in 2025, compared with 3.4% growth in 2024. While fierce competition, high fuel costs and labour challenges did cause cost pressures, average operating margins rose to 7.5% (up from an EBIT margin of 5.5% in 2024). Cross-border online shopping, direct-to-consumer retail models and increased consumer demand for convenient delivery services are supporting growth across domestic and international markets. 

The outlook for the postal sector remains closely linked to the continued growth of e-commerce, the pace of digital transformation and the ability of operators to adapt to changing customer expectations. Operators that successfully combine strong parcel capabilities with diversified service portfolios, trusted customer relationships and efficient delivery networks will be best positioned for future growth.

Now in its eighteenth edition, this year’s IPC Global Postal Industry Report continues to take the pulse of the global postal industry. We analyse 53 posts from Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America, as well as non-postal carriers FedEx and UPS. And we continue our broad analytical coverage, from detailed performance comparisons across posts to tracking key market and industry trends.