Parcel deliveries in Belgium continue to soar

There has been a sixfold increase in the number of express items and parcels delivered between 2010 and 2023, according to the latest annual postal observatory published by the Belgian Institute of Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT), with the number of deliveries reaching 381 million units.

After a dip in 2022, the postal market seemed to return to healthy growth of 5.3% in 2023, with turnover rising by 4.1% to €3.625 billion, BIPT’s report found.

The growth was attributed to the parcels and express segment, which was noted as an increasingly important part of the postal market with the development of e-commerce.

Between 2022 and 2023, the volume of items of correspondence per inhabitant fell by 10.2% to 83 units per inhabitant per year. However, the corresponding turnover increased by 1%, as the fall in volume “could therefore be compensated for by price increases,” according to the postal sector watchdog.

The volume of press distributed fell by a further 8.6% in 2023, the biggest drop on record. The decline was more pronounced for periodicals than for newspapers, with the share of newspapers (50.7%) exceeding that of periodicals (49.3%) for the first time.

Parcels and express deliveries accounted for 68% of the sector's turnover in 2023, compared with 20% in 2010.

Correspondence, including addressed advertising mail, accounted for only 30% of total sales in 2023, compared with 74% in 2010.

Lastly, the press distribution to subscribers segment generated around 3% of revenues.