State Post Office: In August, China's express delivery development index was 431.7, up 1.5% year-on-year

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on September 14, the State Post Office released the China Express Delivery Development Index Report for August 2026. According to estimates, the China Express Delivery Development Index for August 2026 was 431.7, an increase of 1.5% over the previous year. Among them, the development scale index was 591.1, up 4.2% year on year; the service quality index was 605.6, which was basically the same as the same period last year; the development capacity index was 223.5, up 1.6% year on year; and the development trend index was 56.7. In August, the industry was running smoothly, the market chassis was stable, and comprehensive development capabilities continued to be enhanced, effectively empowering the real economy to improve quality and industrial transformation and upgrading.

Figure 1 China Express Delivery Development Index from August 2024 to August 2026

In August, the development scale index was 591.1, up 4.2% year on year. Looking at the sub-indicators, the express delivery business volume is expected to increase by about 3.7% year on year in August, and the express delivery business revenue is expected to increase by about 7% year on year. In August, express delivery companies closely followed consumer nodes such as the fishing festival and harvest of specialty agricultural products. Relying on an integrated production and marketing service model, they increased investment in transportation capacity and service resources, and made every effort to ensure the online circulation of specialty products such as seafood, matsutake mushrooms, fresh peaches, etc., strongly helping high-quality agricultural products to enter the city, mountains, and cross the sea, and continuously activate the potential of urban and rural consumer markets.

In August, the service quality index was 605.6, which is basically the same as the same period last year. Judging from the sub-indicators, public satisfaction with express delivery services is expected to be 85.3 points, an increase of 0.5 points over the previous year. The 72-hour turnaround rate for key regions is expected to be 87%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points over the previous year. The industry continuously optimizes service supply, effectively improves service experience, and meets diversified consumer needs. The first is to accelerate the application of digital intelligence technology. Express delivery companies continue to promote the scenario-based application of AI technology to accelerate the transformation process of digital intelligence. Connect with external open platforms, expand the application scenarios of “AI interactive express delivery services”, effectively simplify processing processes, lower the operating threshold for special groups, and enrich digital convenience services. The second is optimization and upgrading of service supply. Express delivery companies have innovated and introduced a variety of time-sensitive products, such as fresh meal delivery, 4-hour cross-city delivery, and 10 o'clock early delivery, and have comprehensively upgraded the delivery service system. Simultaneously expand the coverage of overtime payment guarantees, continuously improve the stability and service certainty of contract delivery, and help the industry transform from simply comparing delivery speed to accurate and reliable high-quality services. The third is to improve the quality and efficiency of agricultural services. Express delivery companies are deeply involved in agricultural product services, laying out production hubs and village-level service stations, and consolidating county hardware infrastructure; through R&D and application of fresh custom protective packaging, equipped with cold chain transport vehicles, coordinating transportation methods such as aviation, high-speed rail, unmanned vehicles, etc., and superimposing live streaming, production and marketing docking, etc., to open up agricultural product uplinks, broaden export channels, and drive farmers' income.

In August, the development capacity index was 223.5, up 1.6% year on year. The industry's comprehensive security capabilities continue to be consolidated, and transit efficiency is being released at an accelerated pace. First, the facility layout continues to be optimized. Express delivery companies continue to improve their hub networks, and regional material distribution capabilities have been further enhanced. Relevant express delivery companies put into operation the Huizhou Transit Center to improve transit efficiency in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; set up border warehouses in Guangxi to improve the warehouse network supporting facilities for cross-border e-commerce in Southeast Asia; promote the commencement of construction of the Chengdu Smart Park to help improve the level of intelligent operation in the southwest region; and use the Kunming Dounan Flower Collection and Sorting Center to increase investment in cold chain capacity resources such as refrigerated trucks in an integrated manner. Second, the transportation network has been steadily expanding. Express delivery companies are actively promoting “public transit” and cooperating e-commerce trains from the Yangtze River Delta to Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to strengthen the guarantee of two-way material circulation between North and South. Several international highway caban routes have been opened from Nanjing and Suzhou to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City to further clear the Yangtze River Delta delivery channel to ASEAN. The industry's own airlines have successfully obtained EDTO special operating qualifications, and the ability to guarantee the operation of intercontinental remote routes has been improved by leaps and bounds; the “Hainan-Singapore” cargo route has been launched, and the “International Air Transport Next Day Delivery” service has been implemented to improve delivery time from domestic to Southeast Asia.

In August, the development trend index was 56.7. Express delivery companies are strongly consolidating the infrastructure network foundation, speeding up the construction of scenario-based and differentiated product service systems, continuously promoting the implementation and application of intelligent technology, and steadily saving momentum for industry innovation and development. Looking ahead to September, the industry is expected to maintain a steady and progressive development trend, driven by favorable factors such as the school season and holidays.

This article was selected from the WeChat account of the “State Post Office”; Zhitong Finance Editor: Liu Jiayin.