Research by the Universal Postal Union into the state of the postal sector in 2022 has ranked the German postal service as providing the third best service in the world, preceded only by two of its European neighbours.

Universal Postal Union study 2023

A report by the Universal Postal Union, an agency of the United Nations which “coordinates postal policies among member nations” has announced the top five countries which it believes have the best quality postal services in world in 2022. According to the report, 2022 saw a “global upswing in postal service capabilities”. 

To decide where different countries' postal services ranked internationally the Universal Postal Union used the 2IPD scoring system. The 2IPD method determines the score a postal service is given based on four Rs: the reliability, reach, relevance and resilience of the service.

Many of Germany’s neighbours took the top spots, with the Swiss postal service scoring a neat 100 out of 100 for its four Rs. The Union gave particular praise to the alpine nation, writing that, “Among these elite performers, Switzerland stands out in a league of its own, having achieved the maximum [...] score of 100 for an unparalleled seventh consecutive year”. Austria came next with 96,7 out of 100, then Germany, followed by Japan and France.

The UPU made the case for the 2022 to be used as evidence for policy decisions, arguing that the report “emphasises not only the stark differences across nations but also the substantial impact that a robust postal system can have on a country’s economic wellbeing.”

Deutsche Post declared leader in postal excellence, but cuts are planned

Since it is a universal service provider, the only company that delivers letters across the entirety of the federal republic, the name Deutsche Post is synonymous with the German postal system.

Scoring a total of 95,7 out of 100, Deutsche Post was praised by the Union for its performance in the four Rs. Despite its high score, there is a change on the agenda at Deustche Post regarding another R, “regularity”, which would likely go against the UPU’s advice that investing in a postal service is an integral part of maintaining economic wellbeing.

According to an announcement made by head of the German Federal Network Agency Klaus Müller, the Agency plans to cut delivery services down from six days to three days per week. The delivery company made a profit of 8,4 billion euros, but is determined to cut back, and has argued that reducing delivery days would be an easy way to save.

Speaking to Funke Media Group this summer, Müller defended the suggestion by pointing out that limiting delivery to just two, three or four days per week is normal in other countries and that he was “open to something like that becoming possible here as well”.

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