This policy brief argues that the growing gap between postal sector performance and economic growth, called postal–GDP decoupling, reflects more than the effects of digitalization on the global postal sector. The gap is also an emerging indicator of widening economic inequality, digital exclusion and financial exclusion.
Global GDP grew by around 68% between 2006 and 2023, while postal revenues grew by only 24%. This gap shows the sector's difficulty keeping pace with economic change. The brief identifies several key challenges behind this widening gap: declining mail volumes due to digitalization, reduced investment in postal infrastructure and closure of post office branches. Together, these factors increase the risk of excluding rural, elderly, low-income and digitally disadvantaged populations from essential digital and financial services. These trends could weaken local economies, limit access to government payments, cash services and banking, and worsen regional disparities.
To meet these challenges, the brief recommends repositioning postal networks as essential social infrastructure for digital and financial inclusion.
Global GDP grew by around 68% between 2006 and 2023, while postal revenues grew by only 24%. This gap shows the sector's difficulty keeping pace with economic change. The brief identifies several key challenges behind this widening gap: declining mail volumes due to digitalization, reduced investment in postal infrastructure and closure of post office branches. Together, these factors increase the risk of excluding rural, elderly, low-income and digitally disadvantaged populations from essential digital and financial services. These trends could weaken local economies, limit access to government payments, cash services and banking, and worsen regional disparities.
To meet these challenges, the brief recommends repositioning postal networks as essential social infrastructure for digital and financial inclusion.
