The Parcel Shipping Index finds global parcel volume reached 131.2 billion in 2020, equating to 4,160 parcels shipped per second, an increase of 27% year-over-year, according to Pitney Bowes Inc.
“For six years, the Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index has tracked monumental change across the shipping and logistics industry, reflecting shifting consumer behaviors and carriers’ ability to adapt at scale,” says Jason Dies, EVP and president, sending technology solutions, Pitney Bowes. “E-commerce has become fundamental to our lives, and the staggering parcel volume revealed in the latest Index reflects this. For the world’s carriers, as essential service providers 2020 was a transformative year, which tested their investments in people, infrastructure and digital capabilities to the limit. The Parcel Shipping Index accurately tracks and compares their performance during one of the hardest years they’ve ever faced. The index has never been more widely anticipated or more relevant.”
From Yahoo! Finance:
- Nearly 34 parcels were generated per person, on average. Looking ahead, the index estimates parcel volume could reach 232 billion or as high as 303 billion by 2026. The most likely outcome is that parcel volume will double in the next five years to reach 266 billion in 2026 with an 8% CAGR from 2021-26.
- China remains the largest market by volume, with parcel numbers reaching 83.4 billion in 2020 or 2,643 parcels shipped every second. Based on forecasts from Pitney Bowes, China is expected to become the first country in the index to reach 100 billion parcels by volume in one year, which is likely to happen in 2021.
- Carrier parcel revenue increased across all 13 countries in 2020, collectively reaching $429.5 billion, up 22% since 2019. The United States remains the market with the highest carrier revenue of all regions in the Index.
