Germans receive the most packages

Consumers in Germany receive more packages per year than every other citizen in Europe. Per capita in Germany there are 24 shipments per year. That’s twice as many as in the Netherlands for example.

Consulting firm McKinsey published a study about the number of packages consumers in Europe and other markets receive. Although Germany is the number one in Europe, it’s not the number one in the study. That honor goes to China, with an estimated 70 parcels per capita. However, this value doesn’t quantify the volume throughout the country, as McKinsey only looked at data from consumers in Beijing and Shanghai.

Italians only get 2 parcels per year

There are big differences throughout Europe. For example, German customers receive on average 24 parcels per year, while in Italy consumers only get 2 parcels per year. In Europe, the United Kingdom (22 parcels per capita per year) keeps pace with Germany, while it’s also in a similar situation as the US, where consumers get on average 21 parcels per year.

Number of ecommerce parcels keeps growing

McKinsey calls these countries mature markets, their growth potential for companies is therefore limited. But with regards to parcels, this could be different. Especially with the boost in ecommerce, which analyst estimate will grow by 10 percent per year by 2030, five times faster than brick-and-mortar retail.

The study also shows that the amount of parcels in Austria, where there are 14 shipments a year per capita, is still relatively low. Meanwhile, Swiss consumers receive 9 parcels per year, while in Sweden there are just 6 packages to receive.

‘Classic parcel service providers are under pressure’

According to the experts from McKinsey, the classic parcel service providers are under pressure as the influence of online giants such as Amazon will continue to increase. These players are focusing more and more on delivering orders themselves. So McKinsey warns the current top players in the parcel delivery industry to be innovative if they want to continue to play an important role in the future.