20b parcels delivered in China so far this year

China's parcel delivery industry has handled 20.09 billion parcels this year as of Wednesday, the State Post Bureau of China said on Thursday.

It took six more days to reach the same figure last year and 72 more days in 2019.

China has been trying to boost consumption in a bid to accelerate its economic recovery after the pandemic.

It took 39 days for the industry to handle 10 billion parcels this year and 28 days for the industry to handle the second 10 billion parcels.

The figures show that China's consumption market has huge potential, and that positive long-term growth in consumption has not changed.

In a unique example demonstrating the efficiencies of the postal system and the strength of Chinese consumption, livestreams were set up in parcel warehouses in Xiamen, Fujian province. On the livestreams, hosts sell the items in the warehouses, which then can be shipped out immediately, saving one or two days.

With spring arriving early this year, some delivery companies have even set up operations in fields where fresh strawberries, cherries, oranges and spring tea are picked so that they can race them to the consumer as soon as possible.

Data shows that about one-third of parcels across China are collected and delivered in rural areas. More than 100 million parcels flow in and out of rural areas every day across the country, ensuring that the people in those areas have access to the more lucrative markets in urban areas.

According to the State Post Bureau of China, it will continue to promote the sector's high-quality development and expand the delivery network in rural areas.

China's parcel delivery industry has developed rapidly over the past decade. Yearly parcel volume has increased from 5.6 billion in 2012 to 110.5 billion in 2022, an increase of nearly 20-fold.

Last year, the country handled 110.5 billion parcels, the most of any country in the world.