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.

Austria came in second in every category – with the exception of relevance – where it came in first with a perfect score of 100. Relevance in the report measures responsiveness to customer demand.

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. 

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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. It also notes that postal services at the PDL 10 level contribute to both the country’s economy and its social inclusion.

Austria’s high rating remained, even with its recent price hike in 2022 – something Austrian Post says is due to rising costs for energy and raw materials needed to run the service.

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