Parcel and letter post index
Good value for money for parcels and letters
Rich Content Section
Even without adjustment for purchasing power, Switzerland ranks well in both the parcel and letter post index. Swiss Post ranks sixth in the parcel post index and third in the letter post index. In parcel post, Swiss Post’s PostPac Priority service with next-day delivery stands out in particular as a high-quality and extremely reasonably priced service by international standards. In Scandinavian countries, for example, where the cost of living is comparable to ours, prices are more than twice what we pay in Switzerland.
When purchasing power is taken into account, Switzerland ranks first in the letter post index. This means that in relation to other goods, letters are less expensive in Switzerland than in any other country in the comparison. For parcels, Swiss Post takes fifth place. This means that measured against purchasing power, there is nowhere else with postal services as inexpensive as those in Switzerland.
Both letter post indices serve to compare international price levels for letter post. They are based on a basket of goods that includes A Mail and B Mail letters up to 1 kg. Both parcel post indices are based on parcels in the “Priority” and “Economy” categories with weight classes of 1 to 20 kg. The index value for a country indicates the number of percentage points that country’s overall parcel prices are above or below those in Switzerland (index value = 100).
Quality
The two indices depict the situation in simplified form. In particular, they do not factor in quality differences of the services provided in the countries compared. Switzerland not only holds a top position when it comes to prices, but also in terms of quality. In 2022, Swiss Post delivered 97.2% of A Mail letters and 99.3% of B Mail letters as well as 95.7% of all PostPac Priority parcels and 96.9% of all PostPac Economy parcels on time.
Swiss Post’s position
- In Switzerland, the financing of the universal service and earnings before tax are coming under increasing pressure due to declining letter volumes and the tight pricing regulations.
- This means Swiss Post must in future retain the ability to continuously adapt its services and prices to changing customer requirements and developments in the economic situation.
- Price comparison using letter and parcel post indices is scientifically recognized and takes all main consignment categories into account, weighted according to the sending frequency of Swiss consumers. The indices adjusted for purchasing power show the real prices of letters and parcels and are more robust because they do not react to exchange rate fluctuations.
- The quality of service provision by contrast is not taken into consideration by the indices. The delivery times, however, clearly show that Swiss Post renders its postal services at a very high quality level.
- Both indices clearly show that Swiss Post’s prices are very good value for money on an international scale.
![Swiss Parcel Post Index 2022 Belgium 56 United Kingdom 57 Germany 61 Netherlands 86 Norway 95 Switzerland 100 Denmark 104 Italy 123 Portugal 124 France 128 Finland 132 Sweden 144 Spain 156 Ireland 167](https://www2.post.ch/-/media/portal-opp/k/ueber-uns/politik/paketpostindex-2022-1872x1053.jpg?mw=1600&vs=1&sc_lang=en&hash=3707D9E3EC9F4ECDE965C2B1D7958D8B)
![Swiss Parcel Post Index adjusted for purchasing power 2022 Spain 275 Portugal 241 Ireland 232 Italy 202 France 193 Sweden 190 Finland 172 Denmark 138 Netherlands 121 Norway 105 Switzerland 100 Germany 91 Belgium 82 Austria 80 United Kingdom 78](https://www2.post.ch/-/media/portal-opp/k/ueber-uns/politik/paketpostindex-bereinigt-2022-1872x1053.jpg?mw=1600&vs=2&sc_lang=en&hash=E039D4A9365343E757D72406AED2C23D)
![Swiss Letter Post Index 2022 Portugal 72 Spain 90 Switzerland 100 United Kingdom 105 Austria 124 Belgium 135 Netherlands 144 Germany 156 Italy 178 France 193 Finland 216 Norway 224 Denmark 291 Sweden 398 Ireland 620](https://www2.post.ch/-/media/portal-opp/k/ueber-uns/politik/briefpostindex-2022-1872x1053.jpg?mw=1600&vs=2&sc_lang=en&hash=2DFC2577E0CACD361554AF9EEA7207CB)
![Swiss Letter Post Index adjusted for purchasing power 2022 Switzerland 100 United Kingdom 138 Portugal 141 Spain 159 Austria 180 Belgium 198 Netherlands 203 Germany 235 Norway 249 Ireland 257 Italy 269 France 282 Finland 282 Denmark 389 Sweden 526](https://www2.post.ch/-/media/portal-opp/k/ueber-uns/politik/briefpostindex-bereinigt-2022-1872x1053.jpg?mw=1600&vs=1&sc_lang=en&hash=B95DCBF5E6761A32A02EF182C54A774E)