5 billion parcels were shipped in the UK in 2020

Pitney Bowes, a technology company that provides e-commerce solutions and maintains the Parcel Shipping Index, a measure of global parcel volume in 13 major markets, has released its data for 2020.

Global parcel volume reached 131.2 billion in 2020, according to the Index. That works out as roughly 4160 parcels per second, and 0.34 parcels per person. This was an increase of 27% year on year.

Pitney Bowes estimates that global parcel volume could reach between 232 to 303 billion by 2026.

5 billion parcels were shipped in the UK alone, up 33% from 3.8 billion the year before. The UK topped the Index with the highest number of parcels per capita at 74, up from 56 in 2019.

The UK’s top five carriers accounted for 76% of all parcel volume in the country.

Globally, parcel volume increased everywhere except India. China is still the largest market by volume, with 83.4 billion parcels shipped in 2020, and Pitney Bowes predicts it will be the first country to cross the threshold of 100 billion parcels this year. However, parcel volume increased at a faster rate in the US.

Overall carrier revenue for parcels across the 13 markets hit $429.5 billion, an increase of 22% year on year.

In the UK, carrier revenue was up 37% year on year to $22 billion.

Source: Post & Parcel