Parcel deliveries lower in 2022, but still above pre-pandemic levels

Parcel delivery service providers saw revenues and parcel volumes fall last year for the first time since 2018, as the sector returned to normality after pandemic peaks.

A new report on Irish parcel data by ComReg shows that despite the decline, parcel delivery revenues and volumes are still well above pre-pandemic levels, in particular the volume of parcels delivered domestically last year.

Total parcel revenue was €875 million in 2022, a decrease of 9 per cent on peak pandemic revenue of €962 million in 2021.

This is a reverse on the 73 per cent growth in parcel revenue between 2018 and 2021, over the pandemic period.

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The report also notes a 14 per cent decrease in total volumes in 2022, as just fewer than 139 million parcels were delivered last year.

Between 2018 and 2021 there was a 78 per cent increase in total parcel volumes, to a peak of just under 162 million parcels in 2021.

Despite the decrease in the past year, the report notes that parcel delivery in the State is still up on pre-pandemic levels.

Parcel delivery revenue in 2022 was almost €300 million higher than in 2019, a 52 per cent increase, while parcel volumes in 2022 were still 30 per cent higher than 2019.

Last year, 41.6 per cent of parcel revenues came from domestic parcel deliveries within Ireland, while 36.8 per cent of parcels came into Ireland from international senders (inbound), and 21.6 per cent of revenues came from parcels sent out of the country (outbound).

All three segments have seen significant growth in revenues since before the pandemic, with inbound revenue up 69 per cent in 2022 when compared with 2019, while domestic revenue was up 60 per cent, and outbound revenue has increased by 20 per cent.

In terms of volume of parcels, ComReg notes that only the domestic market has seen significant growth pre-pandemic versus post-pandemic.

The number of parcels delivered domestically last year was 57 per cent higher than in 2019, while the number of inbound parcels was up 6 per cent, and the volume of outbound deliveries has decreased by 6 per cent.

The ComReg report uses data from 2018 to 2022, collected from seven service providers under the European Cross Border Parcel Regulation (CBPR). The report includes data from An Post, DPD, DHL, FedEx, UPS, Fastway, and GLS.