China’s express delivery revenue rose 7.2 percent year on year to RMB 1.163 trillion in January–September 2026, the State Post Bureau (国家邮政局) said on 19 October. Express volume grew 4.3 percent to 151.3 billion items. Intra-city deliveries fell while inter-city volume kept growing.
Express revenue grew faster than volume in the first nine months
Total postal industry revenue, excluding the direct operating income of Postal Savings Bank of China, reached RMB 1.389 trillion in January–September, up 5.8 percent year on year. Express services accounted for RMB 1.163 trillion of that, up 7.2 percent.
The industry handled 164.13 billion items in the period, 3.7 percent more than a year earlier. Express parcels made up 151.3 billion of them, up 4.3 percent.
| Indicator | Jan–Sep | YoY | September | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postal industry revenue | RMB 1,389.31bn | 5.8% | RMB 158.86bn | 4.1% |
| Express revenue | RMB 1,163.44bn | 7.2% | RMB 134.52bn | 5.6% |
| Postal delivery volume | 164.13bn items | 3.7% | 18.66bn items | 1.7% |
| Express volume | 151.30bn items | 4.3% | 17.23bn items | 2.1% |
| – Intra-city | 11.00bn items | -7.3% | 1.25bn items | -3.2% |
| – Inter-city | 137.18bn items | 5.4% | 15.67bn items | 2.7% |
| – International/HK, Macao, Taiwan | 3.12bn items | 2.7% | 0.32bn items | -6.2% |
September growth slowed to 2.1 percent for express volume
In September alone, express volume reached 17.23 billion items, up 2.1 percent year on year. Express revenue for the month was RMB 134.52 billion, up 5.6 percent.
Both monthly rates were below the January–September averages of 4.3 percent for volume and 7.2 percent for revenue.
Unit: %
Year-on-year change · Source: State Post Bureau, 19 October 2026
View as table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Express revenue, Jan-Sep | 7.2% |
| Express revenue, Sep | 5.6% |
| Express volume, Jan-Sep | 4.3% |
| Express volume, Sep | 2.1% |
Intra-city volume fell 7.3 percent as inter-city volume rose 5.4 percent
Intra-city express volume fell 7.3 percent to 11.0 billion items in January–September. Inter-city volume rose 5.4 percent to 137.18 billion, and international and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan volume rose 2.7 percent to 3.12 billion.
Inter-city parcels made up 90.7 percent of express volume, 1.0 percentage point more than a year earlier. The intra-city share fell 0.9 points to 7.3 percent, and the international share fell 0.1 points to 2.0 percent.
Unit: %
Year-on-year change, January-September 2026 · Source: State Post Bureau, 19 October 2026
View as table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Intra-city | -7.3% |
| Inter-city | 5.4% |
| International/HK, Macao, Taiwan | 2.7% |
Central and western regions gained share of express volume
Eastern China accounted for 68.8 percent of express volume and 73.6 percent of express revenue in January–September. Its volume share fell 2.3 percentage points from a year earlier and its revenue share fell 0.2 points.
Central China’s volume share rose 1.2 points to 20.8 percent, with its revenue share broadly flat at 15.6 percent. Western China’s volume share rose 1.1 points to 10.4 percent and its revenue share rose 0.2 points to 10.8 percent.
The eight largest brands handled 96.1 percent of volume
The CR8 concentration index, which tracks the eight largest express brands, stood at 86.7 for revenue and 96.1 for volume in January–September. The two readings were 0.2 and 0.1 lower than in January–August.
Public satisfaction with express services scored 85.3 points in the third quarter. The 72-hour delivery rate in key regions nationwide was 86.81 percent.
Among universal postal services, letters rose 25.1 percent to 610 million items and postal parcels rose 11.5 percent to 23.514 million. Remittances fell 34.8 percent to 961,000 transactions.
Coming up · We may follow up with the State Post Bureau’s parcel figures for the 11.11 shopping period.
