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POSTAL SERVICE

Germany ranked as having ‘third best postal service’ in the world

People living in DACH countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) can expect to receive their post more efficiently than anywhere else in the world - at least according to the latest Postal Development Report.

Published: 31 October 2023 13:39 CET
A DHL employee carries a package for delivery in Germany.
A DHL employee carries a package for delivery in Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Gollnow

The annual assessment, published last week by the Universal Postal Union, analysed the services of 172 countries in 2022 and ranked them according to reliability, reach, relevance and resilience, which looks at how well postal services can weather crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturns.

Switzerland maintained its top spot for the sixth year in a row with a perfect score of 100, while Austria received 96.7 and Germany 95.7.

The lowest-ranked postal service in the world is in Guatemala, followed by the Central African Republic. As a whole, countries around the world scored an average of 31.8 points, up from 1.8 the previous year. 

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about sending mail in Germany

The DACH countries were all in the very top tier, or PDL 10, a spot shared only by France and Japan. 

“Countries that attain a ranking in PDL 10 are indisputably in the vanguard of postal excellence, offering what can be considered the world’s pinnacle of postal services,” stated the report.

Germany’s high score comes as its postal service debates raising costs amid a lower number of people sending snail mail through post – a trend that the UPU has noted around the world. 

The number of letters sent via post has slipped dramatically in recent years. Back in 2017, more than 18.5 million letters were sent within Germany. By 2022, this had fallen to just 14.1 million.

As part of its plans to reform the postal system, Deutsche Post has been clamouring for a two-tier postal delivery system. 

This would mean that, instead of being delivered within a day or two, the majority of letters would take up to three days to arrive at their destination as standard.

Anyone requiring quicker delivery would have to opt for ‘Prio’ or priority post, the company said, adding that this service would cost a small amount extra. 

Currently, Deutsche Post is Germany’s only universal postal operator, meaning it delivers mail in all regions of the country. As such, it is legally obliged to deliver 80 percent of its letters within a single day.

READ ALSO: How Deutsche Post wants to create a ‘two-tier’ system for mail in Germany

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POSTAL SERVICE

Why postal delivery times in Germany likely to become slower

As a result of the planned reform of Germany's Postal Act, sending a letter via snail mail is likely to take considerably longer in future.

Published: 22 February 2024 10:47 CET
Why postal delivery times in Germany likely to become slower

Regulations on letter delivery times are to be relaxed so that the postal service can reduce its costs.

Until now, Deutsche Post has had to deliver at least 80 percent of posted letters on the next working day and 95 percent on the second working day. 

Because of this time pressure, airplanes have flown around Germany at night to deliver letters from the south to the north and vice versa. 

READ ALSO: How Deutsche Post wants to create a ‘two-tier’ system for mail in Germany

According to a proposal by the Ministry of Economics – to which there is currently no resistance in the Bundestag – in future there should be an obligation for 95 percent of letters to reach the recipient on the third day after posting and 99 percent on the fourth day. 

This reduced time pressure would allow neighbouring postal services, like Swiss Post for example, to cut costs and cancel night flights. For consumers, however, this means that the average waiting time for letters will be longer than before.

Germany’s coalition government has argued that demand has changed in the face of digitalisation and it is no longer so important that a letter arrives as quickly as possible. 

What is more important is that it arrives reliably, they said.

Not everyone happy with changes

However, the postal service is not only transporting letters, parcels and packages, but increasingly also newspapers and magazines. In light of the proposed new delivery times, many publishers are concerned that the print editions they send by post will arrive late.

If delivery is delayed by one or two days, many loyal readers are frustrated and threatened to cancel their subscriptions, they argue. 

“We want our readers to receive their newspapers and magazines delivered by post on time,” said the Media Association of the Free Press (MVFP) and the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) in a joint statement.

Following an initial parliamentary debate on Wednesday evening, internal consultations between specialised politicians will begin in the Bundestag and the amendment to the law is expected to be completed in the spring.

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