The global express parcels market is projected to reach €565 962 million in 2024, marking a 9.2% year-on-year increase, according to industry analysis from Transport Intelligence (Ti). This growth trajectory is largely fuelled by the continued expansion of e-commerce and a steady rise in GDP, which are key drivers in this sector.Looking ahead to 2028, the global parcels market is expected to reach €736 624 million, with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 7.3%. This forecast underscores the continued demand for reliable parcel services, especially as e-commerce becomes ever more vital to economies worldwide. E-commerce sales are expected to maintain robust growth, with developed markets like the UK, US and China projected to see e-commerce sales increases of 9.7%, 14.8% and 9.2% respectively. These growth rates highlight the pivotal role of online shopping in driving the express parcels market, as consumer expectations for fast and efficient delivery continue to rise worldwide.According to Ti’s research, there is, however, much regional disparity in parcel market growth between the major players of North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. The market therefore cannot be viewed as a whole without understanding the contribution of the different global regions.In its latest analysis, Ti found that the Asia-Pacific region continued to lead the global parcels market, followed closely by North America. Together, these two regions command over 75% of the global market value, underscoring their dominant positions within the industry. Europe holds third place, while other regions – including the Middle East and North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia – capture significantly smaller market shares. “This distribution highlights the strong demand and growth potential within Asia-Pacif ic and North America, as well as the comparatively smaller, yet developing express parcel markets in other parts of the world,” reads the Ti report. “In terms of growth rates, Asia Pacific shows the most robust performance, with annual compound growth of 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, significantly outpacing the global average of 6.9%. North America follows with 7.3%. Europe, surprisingly, shows the second-lowest growth rate at 2.9%, suggesting a more mature and potentially saturated market. These varying growth rates ref lect differing levels of e-commerce adoption, economic development, and market maturity across regions, with emerging markets in Asia and Africa showing higher growth potential compared to more established markets in Europe and North America.” LV
