State Post Office: In September 2025, China's express delivery development index was 459.6, up 3.9% year-on-year

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on October 17, the State Post Office released the China Express Delivery Development Index Report for September 2025. According to estimates, in September 2025, China's express delivery development index was 459.6, up 3.9% year on year. Among them, the development scale index and development capacity index were 589.3 and 228.8, respectively, up 9.3% and 1.9% from the previous year. The service quality index and development trend index were 690.8 and 69.3, respectively, which was basically the same as the same period last year. In September, the scale of the express delivery market grew steadily, the level of unmanned intelligence gradually increased, integrated transportation networks were continuously improved, and industrial chain supply chain service capabilities continued to increase.

The original text is as follows:

China Express Delivery Development Index Report for September 2025

According to estimates, in September 2025, China's express delivery development index was 459.6, up 3.9% year on year. Among them, the development scale index and development capacity index were 589.3 and 228.8, respectively, up 9.3% and 1.9% from the previous year. The service quality index and development trend index were 690.8 and 69.3, respectively, which was basically the same as the same period last year. In September, the scale of the express delivery market grew steadily, the level of unmanned intelligence gradually increased, integrated transportation networks were continuously improved, and industrial chain supply chain service capabilities continued to increase.

Figure 1 China Express Delivery Development Index from September 2023 to September 2025

In September, the development scale index was 589.3, up 9.3% year on year. Judging from the sub-indicators, the express delivery business volume is expected to increase by about 12% year on year in September, and the express delivery business revenue will increase by about 7% year on year. In the first three quarters, the express delivery market boomed, strongly supporting the upgrading of domestic consumption to “excellent”. The express delivery business volume is expected to reach about 145 billion units, and the express delivery business revenue is expected to exceed trillion yuan.

The first is to help unleash the vitality of the consumer market. Online retail sales of physical goods are expected to exceed 9 trillion yuan in the first three quarters, showing the strong endogenous momentum of the Chinese economy. The industry effectively meets consumer demand for holidays, graduation season, school season, etc., deepens collaborative development with cultural tourism and sports, enhances the breadth and depth of rural consumer services, and steadily expands the market size. Since March, the monthly business volume has exceeded 16 billion units.

The second is to promote the circulation of products across regions. In the first three quarters, the industry enhanced its cold chain support capabilities, enhanced diversified and integrated service capabilities, and exported agricultural specialty products such as fresh fruit and fresh seafood to the whole country, helping smart homes, trade-in and other products become popular online, and providing important channels for product circulation and economic cycle. The share of offsite business volume is expected to increase by about 1 percentage point compared to the same period last year.

The third is to serve the coordinated development of regions. In the first three quarters, the industry actively served “east goods moving west, west production going east”. The share of express delivery business in the central and western regions continued to increase. The express delivery business volume growth rate in Ningxia, Guizhou, Qinghai, Shanxi and other provinces (regions) is expected to exceed 30%, playing a positive role in promoting the expansion of domestic demand in the central and western regions and promoting coordinated regional development.

In September, the service quality index was 690.8, an increase of 0.4 percentage points over the previous year. Judging from the sub-indicators, public satisfaction with express delivery services is expected to be 85 points, an increase of 1.2 points over the previous year. The 72-hour turnaround rate for key regions is expected to be 86.4%, an increase of 3.3 percentage points over the previous year. In the first three quarters, the service level of the industry improved steadily, and diversified customized solutions were increasingly improved.

On the one hand, unmanned technology helps efficient delivery. Express delivery companies have expanded new drone transportation routes across the Yangtze River to achieve rapid delivery of hairy crabs “Suzhou Taicang Port Area - Shanghai Chongming” in 15 minutes, and Yangtze River Delta logistics integration has taken solid steps. Hong Kong's first outlying islands drone route has officially launched, increasing the transit time by more than 60% compared to shipping, providing new options for logistics distribution in the outlying islands region.

On the other hand, digital intelligence technology empowers supply chain development. Express delivery companies focus on core scenarios in different industries, apply technologies such as big data and AI intelligent algorithms to create digitally intelligent supply chain platforms, and provide technical support for manufacturing enterprises to enhance their supply chain competitiveness. Using artificial intelligence technology, the “Super Brain Big Model” and the “Embodied Intelligent Robotic Arm System” were launched to build an “AI+” logistics application ecosystem through multi-intelligent device collaboration and human-robot collaboration, greatly improving operational efficiency and providing new space for upstream and downstream enterprises to reduce costs and improve quality and efficiency.

In September, the development capacity index was 228.8, up 1.9% year on year. In the first three quarters, the industry delivery network continued to improve, and service guarantee capabilities continued to improve. First, processing efficiency is increasing. Transit hubs in Jincheng, Anhui, etc. were put into operation, the Sichuan Chengdu Logistics Park was officially completed, and the Guangxi Guilin Transit Center moved to a new location to promote intelligent equipment upgrades and improve the operation efficiency of the entire network. Second, the aviation network continues to be encrypted. The industry's own airlines have added new international cargo routes such as “Ezhou-Miami-Shenzhen” and “Shenzhen-Singapore”, further enhancing their service capabilities in North America and Southeast Asia. The third is to facilitate the development of cross-border services. Express delivery companies upgrade express logistics services from mainland China to Macau to achieve “one order to the end and full traceability” of cross-border delivery by integrating customs, transportation and terminal delivery resources, playing a positive role in reducing overall logistics costs in Macau and promoting the development of production and life facilitation for users in the two regions.

In September, the development trend index was 69.3. Express delivery companies are steadily exploiting market potential, promoting the digital and intelligent upgrading of the industry, effectively meeting diversified delivery needs, and making positive contributions to promoting economic recovery and the continuous expansion of domestic demand. In the fourth quarter, the industry gradually entered the peak season, and it is expected that the industry will maintain a positive development trend.

This article was edited from: “State Post Office” WeChat account; Zhitong Finance Editor: Chen Xiaoyi.