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UPU launches first-ever “State of the Postal Sector” report

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) today launched its first comprehensive State of the Postal Sector report, which identifies, for the first time, a clear causal link between countries’ postal development and national economic growth, particularly in times of economic shocks and crises.

Comparing postal development scores with the growth in real GDP, the report finds a strong correlation between the levels of postal development and the intensity of post-pandemic economic recovery, meaning a well-functioning postal network led to greater economic recovery after the global health crisis.

A calculation presented in the report clearly shows that, without postal services, a country’s GDP would fall by nearly 7 percent, highlighting postal services’ essential role in sustainable national economic performance.

Speaking on the launch of the report, UPU Director General Masahiko Metoki said, “Our findings should serve as a clarion call for governments and other stakeholders to partner with and invest in the growth of the postal sector. Like many threads coming together to form a strong and resilient fabric, collaboration and partnerships will weave the fabric of our postal future.”

The report provides a comprehensive overview of the sector’s existing landscape, challenges, innovations, and potential avenues for future – all enabled by leveraging UPU’s expertise and its unique wealth of postal big data resources.

Recognizing development

As part of the report’s launch at the UPU’s fourth Extraordinary Congress in Riyadh, the UPU recognized the countries that showed the most promising development over the previous year during a dedicated awards ceremony.

Achieving the highest of 10 postal development levels in the UPU’s Integrated Index for Postal Development (2IPD), were Austria, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland, with the Swiss postal service achieving the highest 2IPD score for the 7th consecutive year in 2022.

Acknowledged as “Rising Stars” for their stand-out, year-on-year postal development level increase were Oman, Slovenia, Uzbekistan. Brazil, China (People’s Rep.), Estonia, Ethiopia and Morocco were recognized as postal development leaders in their respective regions.

Using postal big data from 172 countries, the UPU’s 2IPD provides the most comprehensive overview of global postal development across four dimensions: reliability, reach, relevance and resilience of postal services.
For more information on the findings, read the report here.

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The Universal Postal Union is a UN specialized agency with its headquarters in the Swiss capital Berne. Established in 1874, it is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players and helps to ensure a truly universal network of modern postal products and services.
 
Media Contact:
 
Kayla Redstone
Lead Expert, Communication & Outreach Programme
Universal Postal Union (UPU)
Mobile: +41 76 457 36 54
E-mail: kayla.redstone@upu.int