China remained the world’s largest express delivery market in 2024, accounting for 65% of global parcel volume, according to the Global Express Development Report (2025) unveiled at the 6th Express Delivery Industry Conference in Tonglu, Zhejiang province. China claimed the top spot for the 11th consecutive year, reinforcing its role as the primary engine of global parcel market expansion. The report found that global express and parcel services handled 267.9 billion items in 2024, up 17.49% year-on-year, while industry revenue grew 14.05% to CNY4.61 trillion. China alone processed 175.08 billion parcels, an increase of 21.5%, with sector revenue rising 13.8% to CNY1.4 trillion. China handles more than 10 billion parcels per month, a level unmatched worldwide.
Xie Momei, Deputy Director of the International Business Department at the Development and Research Center of the State Post Bureau, noted that despite complex global conditions, strong e-commerce growth continued to fuel parcel demand worldwide. The report forecasts that global parcel volume is likely to exceed 300 billion pieces this year, with worldwide revenue poised to surpass CNY5 trillion. Industry leaders said China’s domestic performance this year further reflects the sector’s resilience. According to Gao Hongfeng, President of the China Express Association, China’s parcel volume surpassed 150 billion items by October 11, reaching the milestone 37 days earlier than in 2024. During this year’s “Double 11” online shopping festival, postal and express enterprises handled 13.94 billion parcels from October 21 to November 11, with an average daily volume of 634 million, or 117.8% of normal levels. The peak single-day volume soared to 777 million items, setting a new national record for daily parcel handling. Gao called for promoting large-scale unmanned delivery, smart cloud warehouses, and low-altitude logistics as the sector shifts from high-speed growth to high-quality development.
Lai Meisong, Chairman of ZTO Express, said artificial intelligence (AI) is now applied across the entire logistics chain, enabling the digitalization of “every vehicle, every worker and every parcel”. Lai noted that ZTO’s per-parcel transfer cost dropped from CNY1.26 in 2016 to CNY0.63 in the first half of 2025, while the average express delivery price in China declined from CNY12.7 to CNY7.5 over the same period. “This has freed up more than CNY1 trillion in value that ultimately flows back to businesses and consumers,” he said. At ZTO’s Tonglu sorting hub, eight Neolix autonomous vehicles have already been put into operation. Tang Rong, Manager of the facility, said the driverless vehicles increased overall site efficiency by about 70% and significantly reduced labor costs. Each Neolix vehicle can handle the workload of three drivers and operates around the clock. A typical 60-kilometer delivery run costs about CNY15 in electricity, compared with at least CNY50 in fuel for a traditional vehicle covering the same distance, the China Daily reports.
