The International Communications Market Report
Source: data.gov.uk (2019-08-28)

This annual report provides comparative international data on the communications sector. The aim of the report is to benchmark the UK communications sector against a range of comparator countries in order to assess how the UK is performing in an international context. The report compares the availability, take-up and use of services in the UK and 17 comparator countries - France, Germany, Italy, the US, Japan, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, India, China and Nigeria, although we focus on a smaller subset of comparator countries for some of our analysis.
This report is intended to be used in a number of ways: to benchmark the UK’s communications sector, to learn from market and regulatory developments in other countries, and to provide the context for Ofcom’s regulatory initiatives. It also contributes to the richness of the information we draw upon, better enabling us to understand how our actions and priorities can influence outcomes for citizens and consumers, and for communications markets generally.

The sectors covered include television and radio broadcasting; internet on-demand content; telecommunications and (since 2012) the postal market.

The final edition of the ICMR was in 2017.

317 
 
 
 
 
 
 
International Communications 
Market Report 2015 
 
 
7 
  
 
 
 
Post 
7
  

318 
Contents 
 
Section 
 
Page 
 Key market developments in post 
319 
7.1
7.1.1 
Introduction 
319 
7.1.2 
Parcel volumes continue to grow 
319 
 The postal industry 
325 
7.2
7.2.1 
Introduction 
325 
7.2.2 
Letter mail revenues and volumes across our comparator countries 
325 
7.2.3 
Letter mail volumes in our comparator countries 
327 
7.2.4 
Letter mail revenues in our comparator countries 
329 
7.2.5 
Single-piece stamp prices in our comparator countries 
331 
7.2.6 
Competition in letters 
337 
7.2.7 
Direct mail 
338 
 Post and the residential consumer 
340 
7.3
7.3.1 
Introduction 
340 
7.3.2 
The number of items sent 
340 
7.3.3 
Types of items sent 
342 
7.3.4 
The number of items received 
344 
7.3.5 
Types of items received in the past week 
346 
7.3.6 
Reliance on post as a way of communicating 
348 
 

319 
 Key market developments in post 
7.1
7.1.1 Introduction 
The post chapter of this report is divided into three sections. These cover: parcel trends 
among our comparator countries where parcel data are available, an overview and country-
level analysis of letter mail trends among our comparators, and consumer research into the 
use of post by residential consumers. 
 
The Key market developments section looks at parcels among our comparator 
countries, using information from WIK and relevant findings from our consumer 
research. 
 
The Postal industry section looks at letter mail volume and revenue trends since 
2010, and presents a comparison of consumer stamp prices in our comparator 
countries. 
 
The Post and the residential consumer section looks at consumer trends in sending 
and receiving mail. 
 
Industry metrics and summary 
Figure 7.1
 
Sources: WIK / Ofcom analysis  
7.1.2 Parcel volumes continue to grow 
This section looks at parcel volume trends across those countries where parcel data are 
available.140 It also highlights some of the findings from our consumer research into sending 
and receiving parcels.  
Comparable data were available for the UK141, Germany, the US, Japan, the Netherlands, 
Sweden, Poland (2013 and 2014 only) and China. These data include parcels sent to 
                                               
140 Although it has not been possible to obtain robust and comparable data on mail volume by type for 
all our comparator countries, information on the size and growth of the parcel market has been 
included for all the countries for which this information is available.  
141 UK parcel data are sourced from information collected by Ofcom from operators providing UK-wide 
services. Detailed information on the scope of this data collection is set out in Ofcom’s Annual 
 
UK
FRA
GER ITA
USA
JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP KOR BRA RUS IND CHN
Letter mail 
volume 
(billion items)
12.7
13.6 15.7
3.8 150.2 18.1
4.3
3.6
3.5
2.4
1.8
0.6
4.3
8.3
3.1 5.6 26.7
Letter mail 
revenue (£bn)
4.3
6.7
6.9
2.6
28.9 10.5
1.2
1.1
2.0
1.0
0.7
0.1
1.6
2.1
0.6 0.4
1.6
Letter mail 
volume per 
capita
197
211
191
62
471 143 183
75
210
253
46
118
87
41
21
4
20
Letter mail 
revenue per 
capita (£)
66.0 103.9 83.3 42.0
90.6 82.3 52.3 22.7 118.6 104.6 17.2 21.6 33.2 10.3
3.9 0.3
1.2
Standard (C5) 
domestic stamp 
price (£)
0.63
1.53 1.17 1.94
xx-xxxx-xxxx
1.67
1.24 0.45 0.29
n/a xx-xxxx-xxxx

320 
businesses as well as consumers. We conducted consumer research in the UK, France, 
Germany, Italy, the US, Japan, Australia, Spain and Sweden, where residential consumers 
were asked about parcels they had received.  
Parcel volumes per head of population are highest in Japan 
Although China has the largest overall parcel volume, when this is adjusted for population 
size, it is among the lowest among our comparator countries in terms of parcel volume per 
person. Japan has the highest parcel volume per head of population (71), followed by the 
US (35) and Germany (34). The high parcel volumes per head of population in Japan are 
probably due to a high number of parcels sent from businesses to other businesses. The 
equivalent figure for the UK is slightly lower at 28, although this is higher than the other 
European comparators for which we have comparable data (the Netherlands, Sweden and 
Poland).  
Japan was the only country in Figure 7.2 where total parcel volumes declined year-on-year. 
This is likely to be due to the lack of economic growth in Japan, which has been fallen into 
recession a number of times since the 2008 global financial crisis. Year-on-year growth was 
high in Poland, where parcel volume increased by 67% and in China, where parcel volume 
increased by 52%.  
 
Parcel volume per head of population: 2013-2014 
Figure 7.2
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Parcels are becoming more important 
The proportion of total mail volume made up of parcels is highest in China (34%) and in 
Japan (33%). In all the countries that we have data for, the proportion of total mail volume 
made up by parcels has increased each year since 2010. In the UK, 12% of mail volumes 
were parcels in 2014, up from 9% in 2010. This is comparable to Germany, where 15% of 
total volumes were parcels in 2014, up from 12% in 2010.  
                                                                                                                                                  
monitoring update on the postal market: Financial year 2014-15, 
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/post/monitoring_reports/monitoring-report-14-15/  
10
6
9
13
71
35
34
28
7
4
9
12
73
34
32
28
0
20
40
60
80
CHN
POL
SWE
NED
JPN
USA
GER
UK
2013
2014
Volume per head
7%
5%
5%
-2%
8%
9%
67%
52%
Parcel volume 
Year-on-year growth

321 
 
Proportion of parcels in total mail volume: 2010-2014 
Figure 7.3
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Around seven in ten online shoppers in most of the countries we surveyed said they 
had received a parcel in the past week 
Parcel volume growth, particularly where items are sent from businesses to consumers, has 
been driven by continued increases in online shopping. The findings of Ofcom’s consumer 
research demonstrate this. Figure 7.4 shows the proportion of people who had received a 
parcel in the past week, split by whether they were a regular online shopper (i.e. shop online 
at least once a week) or not.  
In all of our comparators, regular online shoppers were more likely than those who did not 
shop online on at least a weekly basis to have received a parcel, which indicates the 
influence of online shopping on parcel volumes. In most cases, around seven in ten regular 
online shoppers had received a parcel in the past week. The exceptions to this were Spain, 
where 63% of online shoppers had received a parcel and the US and Japan, where 65% 
had received a parcel in the past week.   
12
6
30
3
2
8
12
15
7
33
6
4
11
34
0
20
40
UK
GER
USA
JPN
NED
SWE
POL
CHN
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Proportion of parcels in total mail (%)

322 
 
Proportion of regular online shoppers and who had received a parcel in 
Figure 7.4
the last week compared to those who are not regular online shoppers 
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015 Base: All weekly online shoppers who 
have received any items of post in the last week/non-weekly online shoppers who have received any 
items of post in the last week, UK=361/525, FRA=111/768, GER=257/616, ITA=187/523, 
USA=256/497, JPN=153/638, AUS=220/593, ESP=115/616, SWE=120/655  Q.16 Which of these 
types of items would you say you have personally received through the post in the last week? - NET: 
Any parcels 
People in the US reported receiving the most parcels in the past week 
Among people who had received a parcel in the past week, those in the US reported 
receiving the most parcels (3.6 on average). The only other country where the reported 
average was greater than two was Italy (2.4). Respondents in the UK reported receiving 1.9 
parcels on average, close to the figure the previous year (2.0), broadly similar to France 
(1.8) and higher than Germany (1.5).  
Although Japan has the highest parcel volume per head, as shown in Figure 7.2, people in 
Japan reported receiving an average of 1.8 parcels in the past week. The data from the 
consumer research shown in Figure 7.5 are not comparable with the parcel volume per 
head, as this is calculated from the total parcel volumes for the year, while the consumer 
research asks respondents to recall how many parcels they had received in the past week. 
The difference between the industry and the research data for Japan may be because a high 
number of parcels are sent from businesses to businesses in Japan.  
Respondents who received a parcel in the last week (%)
69
73
72
71
65
65
71
63
69
47
53
52
51
48
51
42
47
47
0
20
40
60
80
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Weekly online shoppers
Not weekly online shoppers

323 
 
Average number of parcels received in the past week 
Figure 7.5
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015 Base: All respondents who have 
received any items of post in the last week, UK=888/886, FRA=896/879, GER=883/873, 
ITA=767/710, USA=739/753, JPN=838/791, AUS=865/813, ESP=700/731, SWE=775 Q.15 
Approximately how many of these items you received in the last week were parcels i.e. items that 
wouldn't easily fit through a standard household letterbox? 
People in France were more likely to receive a small parcel than a large parcel 
While at least 50% of all those who had received an item of post in the past week had 
received a parcel, across all of the countries that we surveyed, there were some differences 
in the types of parcels that people had received. Those in France were far more likely to 
have received a small parcel in the past week, with almost half (47%) having done so. 
People in the UK were the next most likely to have received a small parcel, at 38%, while 
those in Spain were the least likely to have received a small parcel (28%).  
People in France were the least likely to have received a large parcel. A fifth (20%) of those 
who had received an item of post in the past week had received a large parcel, by far the 
lowest among the countries we surveyed. Respondents in Australia and Sweden were also 
less likely to have received a large parcel, with three in ten having received one in the past 
week. Those in the UK were among the most likely to have received a large parcel in the 
past week (36%), similar to Germany, Italy and the US (all 38%). 
2.0
1.5
1.9
2.1
3.8
1.9
1.8
2.1
1.9
1.8
1.5
2.4
3.6
1.8
1.6
1.3
1.3
0
1
2
3
4
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
2014
2015
All respondents who have received any items of post in the last week

324 
 
Types of parcel received in the past week 
Figure 7.6
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015 Base: All respondents who have 
received any items of post in the last week, UK=886, FRA=879, GER=873, ITA=710, USA=753, 
JPN=791, AUS=813, ESP=731, SWE=775 Q.16 Which of these types of items would you say you 
have personally received through the post in the last week? 
56
38
36
56
47
20
57
36
38
56
32
38
54
34
38
54
36
34
50
33
29
50
28
34
51
35
30
0
20
40
60
Any parcel
Smaller parcels - that will fit
through a letterbox
Larger parcels - that will not fit
through a letterbox
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
All respondents who have received any parcel in the last week (%)

325 
 The postal industry 
7.2
7.2.1 Introduction 
This section examines letter mail volume and revenue trends, and presents a comparison of 
consumer stamp prices across the countries analysed in this report. We also look at direct 
mail volumes in the countries where this information is available. The main findings include: 
 
Letter mail volumes across our comparator countries have declined by 10.2% 
since 2010. Volumes have fallen from a total of 309.7 billion items in 2010 to 278.2 
billion items in 2014. Year on year, total volumes fell by 2.5%. The rate of decline 
varied among the countries included in this report and was faster among our 
European comparators (4.0%). 
 
Year on year, letter mail revenues across all our comparators increased by 
0.7%. Revenue across all our comparator countries increased from £71.6bn in 2013 
to £72.1bn in 2014. Revenue grew across all our country groups, with the exception 
of the European comparators, where revenue fell by 2.3%. 
 
Volume decline year on year in the UK was among the lowest of our 
comparators. Mail volume in the UK fell by 1.5% in 2014, the slowest rate of decline 
among our European comparators. 
 
The UK was the only country among our European comparators in which 
revenue did not decline in 2014. Letter revenue in the UK grew slightly in 2014, 
increasing by 0.4% year on year. Losses in revenue for our other European 
comparators were more pronounced, particularly in Italy and Spain, where declines in 
volume contributed to revenue losses of 8.2% and 6.8% respectively. 
 
Italy is the most expensive country in which to send a small letter, followed by 
the UK. At 65p, Italy is the most expensive country in which to send a small letter 
(DL size, 20g or less), followed by the UK at 63p. The price in the UK is only slightly 
more expensive than in Sweden (62p) and France (61p). 
 
The UK is among the cheapest in Europe in which to send a medium-sized 
letter. It costs 63p to send a First Class medium-sized (C5 size, 100g or less) letter 
in the UK. The only European country in which this is cheaper is Poland (45p). With 
the exception of Spain, it costs over £1 to send a medium-sized letter in all of our 
other European comparators. 
7.2.2 Letter mail revenues and volumes across our comparator countries 
Ofcom commissioned WIK-Consult to provide a range of metrics for the postal industry in 
our comparator countries. For the majority of the volume and revenue metrics, we have 
concentrated on addressed letter mail as much as possible. However, differences between 
countries mean that in some cases the categories of mail that are included are not an exact 
match.142 Where information is available only for the financial year, we have used estimates 
                                               
142 The way that post is defined and volumes and revenues are recorded differs from country to 
country. In all of our comparators, addressed letter mail delivered within the country is included. In 
Australia and Japan, the volume and revenue figures also include unaddressed advertising mail as 
this could not be excluded from the reported figures. In South Korea, postal parcels could not be 
excluded from the reported volume and revenue figures.  

326 
to provide a calendar year figure. Finally, in the few cases where data are not available, 
market estimates based on long-term trends and local insight has been used. 
Letter mail volumes across our comparator countries have declined by 10.2% 
between 2010 and 2014 
Across our comparator countries as a whole, mail volumes have fallen from 309.7 billion 
items in 2010 to 278.2 billion items in 2014. Decline has been fastest in our European 
comparators, where volumes fell by 16.6%, to 57.0 billion items, between 2010 and 2014.  
The rate of decline in the US, which accounts for 54% of mail volumes among our 
comparators, was 9.9%, similar to the decline among our Asia Pacific comparators (9.7%). 
Mail volume was more stable among the BRICs, although still in decline, falling by 1.5% 
between 2010 and 2014.  
Between 2013 and 2014, total volumes fell by 2.5%. Again, the rate of decline was faster 
among our European comparators (4.0%).  
 
Total letter mail volumes in our comparator countries: 2010-2014 
Figure 7.7
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Year on year, letter mail revenues increased by 0.7%  
Letter mail revenue across all our comparator countries increased from £71.6bn in 2013 to 
£72.1bn in 2014. Revenue grew across all our country groups, with the exception of the 
European comparators, where revenue fell by 2.3%. 
Between 2010 and 2014, letter mail revenues across our comparator countries as a whole 
fell by 0.7%. In our European, Asia Pacific and BRIC comparators, revenues increased in 
this period, most notably in the BRICs, where revenue grew by 31.6%. For our European 
comparators the increase was 1.0%; to £25.1bn, and for the Asia Pacific countries there was 
1.2% growth, to £13.5bn. 
In the US, revenues declined by 6.6% between 2010 and 2014. As the US accounts for 40% 
of overall revenue among our comparators, the comparatively smaller increases from the 
other country groups did not fully offset this decline.  
44.3
45.1
45.1
44.5
43.6
30.3
29.5
28.9
28.1
27.4
166.7
xx-xxxx-xxxx
155.3
153.2
150.2
68.3
65.9
62.7
59.4
57.0
309.7
304.5
292.1
285.2
278.2
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Total
Europe
USA
Asia Pacific
BRIC
Billion items
-2.5%
-4.0%
-2.0%
-2.5%
-2.0%
Year-on-year 
change

327 
 
Total letter mail revenues in our comparator countries: 2010-2014 
Figure 7.8
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: Figures are nominal 
7.2.3 Letter mail volumes in our comparator countries 
Letter mail volumes declined in all of our comparator countries in 2014 
Mail volume declined in all of our comparator countries again in 2014, continuing the trend of 
structural decline in letter mail as continued growth in broadband take-up encourages the 
use of digital communications instead of letter mail.  
The largest proportional decline was in Spain, where volume has declined by one third 
(34.2%) between 2010 and 2014. Decline has also been significant in the Netherlands, 
where volumes have fallen by more than a quarter (26.2%) and in Italy, where they have 
fallen by more than a fifth (21.8%).  
Between 2010 and 2014, decline in the UK (18.5%) has been similar to France (17.9%). In 
Germany, decline has been much slower. In 2014 there were 700 million fewer items in 
Germany when compared to 2010; a 4.3% fall. However, there was some growth in 
Germany over the past four years, as volumes grew between 2010 and 2011, but they have 
declined each year since.  
3.5
3.8
4.1
4.4
4.7
13.3
13.2
13.0
13.1
13.5
30.9
29.9
28.7
28.4
28.9
24.8
27.9
26.9
25.7
25.1
72.6
74.8
72.7
71.6
72.1
0
20
40
60
80
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Total
Europe
USA
Asia Pacific
BRIC
£ billion
0.7%
-2.3%
1.6%
2.7%
6.5%
Year-on-year 
change

328 
 
Letter mail volumes: 2010-2014  
Figure 7.9
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Volume decline year on year in the UK was among the lowest of our comparators 
Mail volumes in the UK fell by 1.5% in 2014, the slowest rate of decline among our European 
comparators. This slower rate of decline may be partly due to the better economic conditions 
in the UK during 2014, and might also have been affected by the volume of election-related 
items sent during the Scottish referendum and the European Parliament elections. Only 
Singapore, Brazil and China had lower rates of decline. 
The largest proportional fall among all of our comparators was in Russia, where volumes 
declined by 12.6%. This is the second year of decline in Russia. Volumes had been broadly 
stable until 2013, when volumes fell by 7.8% year on year. 
The largest proportional declines for our European comparators were in the Netherlands 
(8.0%), Spain (7.4%) and Italy (7.3%). In Italy and Spain, volume decline is primarily driven 
by difficult economic conditions.  
 
Proportional change in letter mail volume: 2013-2014 
Figure 7.10
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
12,681
13,571
15,700
3,800
18,142
4,333
3,550
3,527
2,433
1,757
648.7
4,284
8,299
3,052
5,559
26,682
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
UK
FRA GER ITA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP KOR BRA RUS IND CHN
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Volume (million items)
150,202
0
30
60
90
120
150
180
USA
-1.5
-4.8
-2.5
-7.3
-2.0 -2.1
-4.0
-7.4 -8.0
-4.4
-5.9
-0.5
-3.3
-1.0
-12.6
-2.6
-0.8
-15
-10
-5
0
5
UK
FRA GER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP KOR BRA RUS IND CHN
Change (%)

329 
Mail volume per head of population was highest in the US 
Volume per head of population in the US was 471 in 2014, down slightly from 484 in the 
previous year but still far higher than in any of our other comparators. This was followed by 
Sweden, at 253 items per head, then France and the Netherlands at 211 and 210 items per 
head respectively. In the UK, there were 197 items per head of population in 2014, slightly 
higher than Germany at 191 items.  
The lowest volumes per head of population were in the BRIC countries, and Poland had the 
lowest among our European comparators (46). 
 
Letter mail volume per head of population: 2012-2014 
Figure 7.11
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
7.2.4 Letter mail revenues in our comparator countries 
Despite falling volumes, revenues were more stable 
Despite the long-term trend of falling volumes across all of our comparator countries, mail 
revenue has been more stable. In the US, Australia and Japan, revenues increased in 2014. 
For the US and Australia, this is the first increase in revenue since 2010 and is partly due to 
price increases in both countries.  
Only the UK, Singapore, South Korea and the BRICs had higher revenue in 2014 than in 
2010. In the BRICs, revenue has increased each year since 2010. 
197
211
191
62
471
143
183
75
210
253
46
118
87
41
21
4
20
0
200
400
600
UK
FRA GER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP KOR BRA RUS IND CHN
2012
2013
2014
Items per capita

330 
 
Letter mail revenues: 2010-2014  
Figure 7.12
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: Figures are nominal 
The UK was the only country among our European comparators in which revenue did 
not decline in 2014 
Letter revenue in the UK grew slightly in 2014, increasing by 0.4% year on year. This slight 
growth is partially due to the slower rate of volume decline, plus incremental price increases 
from Royal Mail. Royal Mail’s revenue declined slightly, falling by 0.2%, but revenues from 
other operators delivering end-to-end143 rose from £11m in 2013 to £35m in 2014, offsetting 
the £7m loss from Royal Mail’s letter revenue. 
In France and Germany, letter mail revenue fell by 1.3% and 1.2% respectively. Losses in 
revenue for our other European comparators were more pronounced, particularly in Italy and 
Spain, where declines in volume contributed to revenue losses of 8.2% and 6.8% 
respectively.   
 
Proportional change in letter mail revenue: 2013-2014 
Figure 7.13
 
                                               
143 Primarily from Whistl, who have now ceased delivery operations and continue to be an access mail 
provider.  
4.3
6.7
6.9
2.6
28.9
10.5
1.2
1.1
2.0
1.0
0.7
0.1
1.6
2.1
0.6
0.4
1.6
0
10
20
30
40
UK
FRA GER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP KOR BRA RUS IND CHN
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Revenue (£bn)
Change (%)
0.4
-1.3 -1.2
-8.2
1.6
2.6
2.2
-6.8
-2.3
-4.4 -5.7
-1.6
4.3
2.9
4.7
12.7
10.5
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
UK
FRA GER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP KOR BRA RUS IND CHN

331 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: Figures are nominal 
The Netherlands has the largest mail sector in terms of revenue per head 
While the mail sector in the US is the largest among our comparators, in absolute terms for 
both volume and revenue, the Netherlands has the greatest revenue per head of population. 
In 2014, this was £118.60 in the Netherlands, followed by Sweden at £104.60 and France at 
£103.90. In the UK, this was £66.00. In Europe, the lowest revenue per head was in Poland 
(£17.20) followed by Spain (£22.70). The lowest revenue per head overall was in India 
(£0.30).  
Figure 7.14 shows that revenue per head of population is higher in a number of comparator 
countries than it is in the US, despite the higher mail volumes per head in the US (Figure 
7.11). As shown in our analysis in section 7.2.5, it is cheaper to send mail in the US than in 
these countries, which goes some way to explaining this difference. The disparity between 
the high volume per head and lower revenue per head in the US also suggests that the mix 
of mail in the US includes a higher proportion of lower-priced and pre-sorted bulk business 
mail.  
 
Letter mail revenue per head of population: 2012-2014 
Figure 7.14
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: Figures are nominal 
7.2.5 Single-piece stamp prices in our comparator countries 
This section looks at domestic stamp prices across the countries analysed in this report. In 
each case, we have considered the fastest letter mail product, which most commonly has a 
next-day (D+1) delivery target; although as Figure 7.15 shows, there is some variance by 
country. The products that we have looked at are all single-piece, domestic tariffs, available 
to all consumers. In line with other currency conversions in this report, prices have been 
converted into British Sterling using the International Monetary Fund average exchange 
rates for 2014. The prices of the products are compared as they were published on the 
operators’ websites on 31 October 2015, and have not been adjusted for purchasing power 
parity. Where we look at previous years’ prices, these are the prices on 31 December of 
each year. 
Revenue per capita (£)
66.0
103.9
83.3
42.0
90.6
82.3
52.3
22.7
118.6
104.6
17.2
21.6
33.2
10.3
3.9
0.3
1.2
0
50
100
150
UK
FRA GER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP KOR BRA RUS IND CHN
2012
2013
2014

332 
 
Delivery specifications for the fastest letter mail product 
Figure 7.15
 
Source: WIK 
Note: Delivery targets in Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia, India and China are dependent on the point 
of origin and destination.  
We have looked at the prices for three mailings with different characteristics, based on 
typical envelope sizes. These are: 
 
a small letter – based on a DL envelope, 110mm by 220mm by 5mm, weighing 20g 
or less; 
 
a medium letter – based on a C5 envelope, 229mm by 162mm by 5mm, weighing 
100g or less;144 and 
 
a large letter – based on a C4 envelope, 324mm by 224mm by 25mm, weighing 
101-150g.  
In those countries where a Second Class product is available, we have also looked at those 
prices. However, these products are available to consumers only in the UK, France, 
Sweden, Poland, South Korea and Russia. 
Italy is the most expensive country in which to send a small letter, followed by the UK 
At 65p, Italy is the most expensive country in which to send a small letter, followed by the UK 
at 63p. The price in the UK is only slightly more expensive than in Sweden (62p) and France 
(61p). 
The cheapest country in which to send a small letter is India, where it costs 5p, followed by 
China (12p). Outside the BRC and the Asia Pacific countries, the US has the lowest price for 
sending a small letter (30p), followed by Spain (34p). As shown in Figure 7.15, both of these 
countries have a D+3 delivery standard for their fastest standard letter mail product.  
The UK is among the cheapest in Europe in which to send a medium-sized letter 
It costs 63p to send a First Class medium-sized letter in the UK. The only European country 
in which this is cheaper is Poland (45p). With the exception of Spain, it costs over £1 to send 
a medium-sized letter in all of our other European comparators. The most expensive country 
is Italy (£1.94), where the price increased by 40% in 2013 and then by a further 14% in 
2015. India is the cheapest country in which to send a medium-sized letter (25p), followed by 
Singapore (29p). 
The reason that the UK is more expensive for a small letter and cheaper for a medium-sized 
letter is due to the different tariff structures that are used in each country. Most postal 
operators in Europe have a lower price for small letters and postcards weighing 20g or less, 
and a higher price for items which weigh more than 20g or exceed the dimensions of a DL 
envelope. In the UK, there is no separate price for a small letter, so the price is the same 
whether a small or medium-sized letter is being sent.  
                                               
144 Most greetings cards in the UK are no larger than a C5 envelope 
UK FRA GER ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP NED SWE POL SGA BRA
RUS
IND
CHN
D+1
D+1
D+1
D+1
D+3
Variable
Variable
D+3
D+1
D+1
D+1
D+1
D+2-5
Variable
Variable
Variable

333 
 
Published stamp prices for small (DL) and medium (C5) domestic letters 
Figure 7.16
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: South Korea is not included as the additional charge for the ‘Priority Mail’ product is not 
published.  
The largest price increases for sending a small letter since 2011 have been in the 
Netherlands and the UK 
On a nominal basis, 14 of our comparator countries have increased the price of the stamp 
required to send a small letter since 2011, as Figure 7.17 shows. The largest increase has 
been in the Netherlands, where it is now 50% more expensive than in 2011 to send a small 
letter. In the UK, it is now 37% more expensive to send a small letter using a First Class 
stamp.  
Prices have risen by at least one fifth in Italy (33%), France (27%), Poland (21%) and Spain 
(20%). In Spain, the price has increased every year since 2011, and in France prices have 
risen each year since 2013. The entirety of the 21% increase in Poland took place in 2013 
and is due to the reconfiguration of the tariff structure used there. Previously, there was a 
separate price for small and medium-sized letters. When this was changed, the price of a 
small letter increased, and the price of medium-sized letter fell slightly, as Figure 7.18 
shows. 
 
Nominal increase in stamp price for the fastest available small (DL) 
Figure 7.17
letter since 2011 
 
0.61
0.50
0.65
0.30
0.47
0.38
0.34
0.56
0.62
0.45
0.14
0.22
0.41
0.05
0.12
0.63
1.53
1.17
1.94
0.98
0.80
0.77
0.74
1.67
1.24
0.29
0.48
0.79
0.25
0.59
0
1
2
UK
FRA GER
ITA
USA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP BRA RUS
IND CHN
Small
Medium
Single piece stamp price (£)
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
NED
UK
ITA
FRA
POL
ESP
SWE
AUS
SGP
BRA
GER
USA
RUS
JPN
2011=1

334 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: Figures are nominal 
Medium-sized stamp prices have increased in Italy by 60% since 2011 
Figure 7.18 shows the nominal trend in the price of sending a medium-sized letter since 
2011. Current and previous years are indexed to 2011 prices, on a nominal basis, in each of 
the comparator countries in which prices have increased. 
The highest proportional increase has been in Italy, where the price to send a medium-sized 
letter is now 60% higher than in 2011. Prices have also risen significantly in the Netherlands, 
and have increased each year; it is now 50% more expensive than 2011 to send a medium-
sized letter in the Netherlands. In the UK, prices increased each year except 2013, and the 
price of a First Class stamp is now 37% higher than in 2011. 
Poland is the only comparator country in which the price of sending a medium-sized letter 
has fallen. Before 2012, there were separate prices for small letters, weighing less than 20g, 
and for medium-sized letters. A new pricing structure was then introduced, with a single 
price for medium-sized letters and anything smaller, similar to the tariff structure in the UK.  
 
Nominal increase in stamp price for the fastest available medium-sized 
Figure 7.18
(C5) letter since 2011 
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: Figures are nominal 
The UK is among the cheapest countries in Europe in which to send a large letter 
Poland is the cheapest country among our European comparators in which to send a large 
letter (98p), followed by the UK (£1.26). In four of the eight European comparators, it costs 
more than £2 to send a large letter; Sweden is the most expensive at £2.48, closely followed 
by France at £2.46. The lowest price overall is in India (40p), followed by Singapore (55p).  
The most expensive country to send a large letter is Australia (£4.52). This is because the 
maximum thickness of a large letter in Australia is 20mm, and as this analysis is based on 
the prices for letters that are up to 25mm thick, this price represents the ‘small parcel’ price 
offered by Australia Post. To send a large letter up to 20mm thick in Australia would cost 
£1.15. Excepting Australia, Russia is the most expensive country in which to send a large 
letter, as we have defined it. 
0.9
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
ITA
NED
UK
RUS
FRA
SGP
SWE
AUS
BRA
ESP
USA
POL
2011=1

335 
 
Published stamp prices for large (C4) domestic letters 
Figure 7.19
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: South Korea is not included as the additional charge for the ‘Priority Mail’ product is not 
published.  
South Korea is the cheapest of our comparators in which to send a Second Class 
equivalent letter of any size 
Not all of our comparator countries offer a lower-priced single piece product with a slower 
delivery standard, in the same way that First and Second Class are available in the UK. 
Alongside the UK, this choice is available to consumers in France, Sweden, Poland, South 
Korea and Russia. These are almost all D+3 products, with the exception of France and 
Russia, as shown in Figure 7.20. 
 
Delivery specifications for the Second Class equivalent letter product 
Figure 7.20
 
Source: WIK 
Note: Delivery targets in Russia are dependent on the point of origin and destination.  
South Korea is the cheapest country in which to send a Second Class equivalent letter, 
regardless of the format. To send a small letter, the price in the UK (54p) is comparable with 
France and Sweden where it costs 53p and 58p respectively. But it is far cheaper to send a 
medium-sized Second Class letter in the UK than in France or Sweden, where it costs more 
than £1. This is because the price to send a medium-sized letter in the UK is the same as a 
small letter.  
1.26
2.46
1.94
2.38
1.23 1.18
4.52
1.64
2.23 2.48
0.98
0.55 0.61
2.69
0.40
0.79
0
1
2
3
4
5
UK
FRA GER
ITA
USA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP BRA RUS
IND CHN
Single piece stamp price (£)
UK
FRA
SWE
POL
KOR
RUS
D+3
D+3-4
D+3
D+3
D+3
Variable

336 
 
Published stamp prices for Second Class small (DL), medium (C5) and 
Figure 7.21
large (C4) domestic letters: October 2015 
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
The price to send a Second Class medium-sized letter in the UK has increased by 50% 
since 2011 
Price increases for the Second Class medium-sized letter in the UK have been the highest 
among our comparator countries that offer this product. The majority of the increase in the 
UK occurred in 2012, but smaller increases also took place in 2014 and 2015. Russia and 
France have also increased the price of a Second Class equivalent stamp, with significant 
increases in France in 2014 and 2015.  
There was no change to the price of a Second Class stamp price in South Korea over this 
period.  
 
Nominal increase in stamp price for Second Class equivalent medium-
Figure 7.22
sized (C5) letter since 2010 
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: Figures are nominal 
0.54
0.54
1.19
0.53
1.17
2.02
0.58
1.15
2.30
0.34
0.34
0.72
0.17
0.29
0.36
0.27
0.39
0.65
0
1
2
3
Small
Medium
Large
UK
FRA
SWE
POL
KOR
RUS
Single piece stamp price (£)
0.9
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
UK
RUS
FRA
SWE
POL
2011=1

337 
7.2.6 Competition in letters  
With the exception of the UK, operators other than those providing the universal 
postal service have a greater share of letters sector volume than revenue 
This section looks at the share of the letters sector, by revenue and by delivered volume, 
accounted for by postal operators other than the provider of the universal postal service. 
Among our comparator countries, there are seven European comparators where letters 
competition exists, as set out in Figure 7.23.  
There are two main forms of competition in the letters sector; access and end-to-end. 
Access competition is where the operator collects mail from the customer, sorts it and 
transports it to the universal service provider for delivery. This enables other operators to 
offer letter postal services to larger business customers without setting up their own delivery 
network. Access competition is well established in the UK and is the most predominant form 
of competition. Access also exists in Germany, where it is known as ‘consolidation’ or ‘partial 
services’.  
End-to-end competition is where an operator other than the universal service provider 
undertakes the entire process of collecting, sorting and delivering mail to the intended 
recipients.  
Apart from the UK, in all of the countries in Figure 7.23 where data are available for both 
revenue and delivered volume from operators other than the universal postal service 
provider, these operators have a greater share of letters volume than of revenue. The 
difference is greatest in Poland, where competing postal operators have a 17.3% share of 
delivered volume and a 7.9% share of revenue. This is likely to be due to competitors to 
Poczta Polska, the universal postal service provider, primarily competing for lower-value bulk 
mail, particularly transactional mail from utility companies, and providing an end-to-end 
service for this mail.  
In the Netherlands, operators other than Post NL, the universal service provider in the 
Netherlands, have the highest share of delivered volume across all of our comparators. 
Sandd is the largest postal operator in the Netherlands after Post NL and the only other 
national end-to-end delivery provider. There are also a number of smaller operators offering 
end-to-end delivery in certain regions. Competition in letter delivery is more established in 
the Netherlands than in many other countries, and this is reflected in the higher share of 
delivered volume accounted for by competitors.  
For the first time in the UK, the share of delivered letter volumes accounted for by operators 
other than Royal Mail was greater than 1%. Other operators’ share by volume in 2014 was 
1.2%, increasing from 0.4% the previous year. However, it is unlikely that this growth will 
continue. The majority of the increase in delivered volume (and therefore share) was due to 
Whistl, which began delivering letters end to end in April 2012. Although Whistl had 
extended its network to deliver to two million addresses, it announced the closure of its end-
to-end operations in June 2015 after its investment partner, LDC, announced that it would 
not fund further roll-out.  
In the UK, the higher share of letter revenue than delivered letter volume accounted for by 
postal operators other than Royal Mail reflects access competition. This is because access 
operators obtain revenue from providing these services but do not gain any share of 
delivered letter volumes as Royal Mail is the operator delivering the letters. Operators other 
than Royal Mail in the UK handled 56% of total letter volume in 2014, accounting for 3.9% of 
letter revenue. End-to-end competition accounted for 0.8% of total letters revenue. 

338 
Although access competition exists in Germany, it is not on as wide a scale as in the UK. 
Revenues from access operators in Germany accounted for a 1.4% share of the total letters 
market.145  
 
Revenue and end-to-end delivered letter shares accounted for by 
Figure 7.23
operators other than the universal postal service provider: 2013-2014 
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
Note: 2014 shares for Spain are approximate. Data are not available for volumes in Italy and revenue 
in the Netherlands 
7.2.7 Direct mail 
Over half of total mail volume in the US is advertising mail 
The importance of direct advertising mail to total volumes is most striking in the US, where 
51% of total mail in 2014 was direct mail. Direct mail accounts for 39% of total mail in 
Germany, the second highest among our comparator countries, followed by France, where 
32% of total mail volumes are direct mail. Comparatively, direct mail accounted for 21% of 
total mail in the UK. The smallest proportion of direct mail in total mail volume was in Russia, 
where only 2% of total mail was made up of direct mail.  
Despite contributing to only 2% of total mail, direct mail volume in Russia increased by 
42.2% between 2012 and 2013 and by a further 61.1% in 2014. Russia is the only one of our 
comparators where the volume of direct mail has increased over the past two years.  
                                               
145 Bundesnetzagentur, Marktuntersuchung Bericht über den lizenzpflichtigen Briefbereich 2014, 
March 2015, p.11 
0.4
1.2
12.3
13.0
12.8
13.0
21.0
23.5
13.9
15.1
13.9
17.3
4.2
4.7
12.3
12.7
12.8
14.6
8.5
9.0
7.3
7.7
4.9
7.9
0
5
10
15
20
25
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
UK
GER
ITA
ESP
NED
SWE
POL
End-to-end volume
Revenue
Share (%)

339 
 
Proportion of direct mail in total letter volume: 2013-2014 
Figure 7.24
 
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis 
23
30
38
32
50
16
15
8
8
25
1
21
32
39
34
51
17
16
9
8
25
2
0
20
40
60
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
AUS
ESP
POL
KOR
BRA
RUS
2013
2014
Proportion of direct mail in total letter volume (%)

340 
 Post and the residential consumer 
7.3
7.3.1 Introduction 
This section presents the findings of our consumer research, the methodology of which is 
detailed in Appendix A. The questions include sending and receiving post, the types of mail 
sent and received, and respondents’ perceived reliance on post as a way of communicating. 
The key findings in this section are: 
 
Seven in ten (72%) of the online population in the UK had sent an item of post 
in the past month. Only in France and in Germany, where nearly eight in ten had 
sent at least one item, were people more likely to have sent something by post in the 
past month. 
 
The average number of items of post sent per month has remained broadly 
stable in the UK and has increased in France, Italy and the US. The average 
number of items sent per month in 2015 in the UK was 4.2, broadly similar to the 
average of 3.9 for the previous year. This is lower than in 2013, when the average 
number of items sent was 4.7. 
 
Among those that had sent an item, six in ten of those in Spain and over half of 
those in the UK had sent a parcel. For the UK, Germany, Italy, Australia and Spain, 
over half of those that had sent something in the past month had sent a parcel. This 
was highest in Spain, where 59% had done so. 
 
People in the UK are more likely than those in any of the other countries we 
surveyed to send invitations, cards and postcards. One-third of those in the UK 
who had sent any item of post in the past month had sent an invitation, card or 
postcard in this time period, higher than any of the other countries that we 
researched. 
 
Nine in ten (88%) people in the UK had received an item of post in the past 
week. People in the UK were among the most likely of those in our comparator 
countries to have received an item of post in the past week. Almost nine in ten (88%) 
had received at least one item, the same proportion as in France and Germany. 
 
People in the US report receiving the most post of all our comparators. The 
average number of items received by people in the US in 2015 was 9.3, the same as 
the previous year. The next highest average number of items received was in France 
(8.4), followed by the UK (6.7). 
 
People in the UK and the US consider themselves more reliant in post in 2015 
than they did in 2014. In the UK, the proportion of people considering themselves 
reliant on post increased by 6 percentage points to 62%. In the US, this increased by 
9 percentage points, also to 62%.  
7.3.2 The number of items sent 
Seven in ten (72%) of the online population in the UK had sent an item of post in the 
past month 
Respondents in the UK were among the most likely of those in all the countries we surveyed 
to have sent an item of post in the past month. Only in France and in Germany, where nearly 

341 
eight in ten had sent at least one item, were people more likely to have sent something by 
post in the past month.  
In Spain, over half of those surveyed said that they had not sent anything by post in the past 
month, the highest of all the countries in Figure 7.25. Two-fifths of those in Japan (44%), 
Italy (41%) and Sweden (41%) had not posted anything in the past month. 
Where people had sent something in the past month, they were most likely to have sent one 
or two items only, across all of our comparators.  
 
Approximate number of items of post sent per month 
Figure 7.25
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015  
Base: All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006, 
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004  
Q.12 Approximately how many items of post - including letters, cards and parcels - have you 
personally sent in the last month? 
The average number of items of post sent per month has remained broadly stable in 
the UK and has increased in France, Italy and the US 
The average number of items sent per month in 2015 in the UK was 4.2, broadly similar to 
the average of 3.9 for the previous year. This is lower than in 2013, when the average 
number of items sent was 4.7. The average number of items sent was also broadly stable in 
Japan, Australia and Spain.  
The average number of items sent in France, Italy and the US has increased. In France, the 
average number of items rose from 4.2 in 2014 to 5.2 in 2015. This was the largest increase, 
and as Figure 7.25 shows, this is due to a larger proportion of people saying that they had 
sent more than 21 items in the past month. The increase in France brings the average 
number of items sent there into line with the US, where the number of items sent per month 
has been highest of all the countries we survey for the past three years.  
Respondents (%)
31
26
21
19
20
20
40
41
32
32
45
44
35
36
55
53
41
33
34
32
35
34
38
32
27
23
25
31
34
31
32
24
26
31
16
20
22
22
21
21
12
14
15
15
10
10
14
15
8
9
13
9
11
16
10
15
12
7
6
12
11
6
5
9
7
5
4
6
4
3
4
4
4
5
2
2
6
6
2
2
3
3
1
1
2
2
4
2
6
2
2
2
5
3
7
2
3
2
4
2
3
4
2
2
2
4
1
2
2
4
6
4
2
3
3
4
4
3
4
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2015
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Don't know
21+ items
11 to 20 items
5 to 10 items
3 or 4 items
1 or 2 items
None
100
80
60
40
20
0

342 
 
Average number of items sent per month: 2013-2015 
Figure 7.26
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015, October 2014, September 2013 
Base: All respondents, UK=1000/1011/1006, FRA=1007/1027/1003, GER=1010/1006/1007, 
ITA=1010/1006/1003, USA=1004/1000/1009, JPN=1005/1003/1006, AUS=1007/1000/1000, 
ESP=1020/1002/1002, SWE=1004 Q.12 Approximately how many items of post - including letters, 
cards and parcels - have you personally sent in the last month? 
7.3.3 Types of items sent 
Among those who had sent any item of post, six in ten of those in Germany and Spain 
and around half of those in the UK, Australia and Italy had sent a parcel 
In the UK, Germany, Italy, Australia and Spain, over half of those who had sent something in 
the past month had sent a parcel. This was highest in Spain, where 59% had done so. This 
is an increase of 11pp year on year.  
People in the UK and the US were the most likely to have sent personal mail, with over half 
of those who had sent an item in the past month in these countries having sent this type of 
mail. The UK and the US were the only countries in which a higher proportion of people had 
sent personal mail than parcels.  
In France and the US, the category of post sent most frequently by consumers was mail to 
businesses. Three-quarters (75%) of those in France and two-thirds (66%) of those in the 
US had sent this category of post. Over half of those in Germany (57%) and in Italy (52%) 
had sent mail to businesses. In France, the US and Sweden a higher proportion of people 
had sent mail to businesses than had sent a parcel. These were the only three countries in 
which this was the case.  
4.7
4.4
4.9
3.8
5.6
2.3
3.4
5.1
3.9
4.2
4.4
3.3
4.9
2.5
3.6
2.1
4.2
5.2
3.8
3.9
5.5
2.6
3.7
2.5
3.2
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
2013
2014
2015
Average number of items

343 
 
Categories of post sent in the past month 
Figure 7.27
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015 
Base: All respondents who have sent any items of post in the last month, UK=731, FRA=772, 
GER=790, ITA=549, USA=643, JPN=533, AUS=601, ESP=435, SWE=547 
Q.13 Which of these types of mail would you say you have personally sent in the last month by post? 
People in the UK are more likely than those in any of the other countries we surveyed 
to send invitations, cards and postcards 
One-third of those in the UK who had sent any item of post in the past month had sent an 
invitation, card or postcard in this time period, higher than any of the other countries that we 
researched. This is the same proportion as the previous year. Those in the US were the next 
most likely to have sent this type of post, with 27% doing so.  
As Figure 7.27 shows, people in France and the US were the most likely to send mail to 
businesses. Looking at the specific types of items sent (Figure 7.28) indicates that this is 
primarily driven by payments for bills being sent through the post.  
People in the UK were among the most likely to have sent a small parcel in the past month, 
with two-fifths having done so. This is on a par with Germany (41%), and Spain (40%). 
People in Germany were the most likely to have sent a large parcel; one-third (34%) had 
sent this type of item in the past month.  
Respondents who have sent items of post in the past month (%)
55
42
44
44
51
44
46
41
38
44
75
57
52
66
37
42
42
47
52
44
59
55
39
49
50
59
45
0
20
40
60
80
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Personal mail
Mail to businesses
Parcels

344 
 
Type of items sent in the past month 
Figure 7.28
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015 
Base: All respondents who have sent any items of post in the last month, UK=731, FRA=772, 
GER=790, ITA=549, USA=643, JPN=533, AUS=601, ESP=435, SWE=547 
Q.13 Which of these types of mail would you say you have personally sent in the last month by post? 
7.3.4 The number of items received 
Nine in ten (88%) people in the UK had received an item of post in the past week 
People in the UK were among the most likely of those in our comparator countries to have 
received an item of post in the past week. Almost nine in ten (88%) had received at least one 
item, the same proportion as in France and Germany.  
People in Italy and in Spain were the most likely to have received no post in the past week, 
with a quarter of respondents in each of these countries saying that they had not received a 
single item.  
Respondents who have sent items of post in the past month (%)
21
40
25
46
36
15
16
41
34
30
36
29
57
25
22
9
35
24
22
35
28
20
40
27
14
32
22
0
20
40
60
Payment for bills/ invoices/
statements
Smaller parcels - that will fit through a
letterbox
Larger parcels - that will not fit
through a letterbox
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
33
33
30
35
17
52
34
20
49
31
24
34
35
27
19
33
19
33
31
24
26
32
16
26
27
19
36
0
20
40
60
Personal letters
Invitations/ cards/ postcards
Formal letters to organisations or
individuals

345 
 
Approximate number of items of post received in the past week 
Figure 7.29
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015 
Base: All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006, 
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004 Q.14 Approximately how many items of post - including letters, 
cards and parcels - have you personally received in the last week? 
People in the US report receiving the most post of all our comparators 
The average number of items received by people in the US in 2015 was 9.3, the same as 
the previous year. The next highest average number of items received was in France (8.4), 
followed by the UK (6.7).  
This claimed measure is not consistent with the ‘volume per head of population’ metric, 
calculated from the industry data and set out in Figure 7.11. This is because the number of 
items received is sourced from consumer research, in which people are asked how many 
items of mail they have received in the past week, while the data in Figure 7.11 are derived 
from the total letter volume for each year divided by the population of each country. The 
consumer research does not include mail sent to businesses, which may explain why there 
is a high volume per head of population in Sweden, despite it having one of the lowest 
average numbers of items received by consumers.  
The high number of items received in the US is likely to be driven by advertising mail, which 
accounts for 51% of total mail volume in that country. As section 7.3.5 shows, people in the 
US are the most likely among our comparators to have received advertising mail in the past 
week.  
Respondents (%)
9
8
8
7
9
10
21
25
18
19
14
17
11
15
26
24
18
23
27
15
22
25
31
39
37
17
18
33
33
29
31
40
41
34
23
22
25
20
27
27
19
17
12
16
22
22
25
26
16
19
23
26
25
26
25
24
19
10
9
17
16
18
15
23
17
9
9
14
10
9
12
12
7
6
4
3
15
12
7
6
7
3
2
2
3
4
5
8
9
4
4
2
5
12
12
4
3
2
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
5
3
4
3
4
8
7
3
3
3
4
4
3
5
0
20
40
60
80
100
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2015
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Don't know
21+ items
11 to 20 items
5 to 10 items
3 or 4 items
1 or 2 items
None

346 
 
Number of items received in the past week 
Figure 7.30
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015, October 2014,  
Base: All respondents, UK=1000/1011, FRA=1007/1027, GER=1010/1006/, ITA=1010/1006/, 
USA=1004/1000, JPN=1005/1003, AUS=1007/1000/, ESP=1020/1002, SWE=1004  
Q.14 Approximately how many items of post - including letters, cards and parcels - have you 
personally received in the last week 
7.3.5 Types of items received in the past week 
Mail from businesses is the category of mail most likely to be received, in all our 
comparator countries 
With the exception of Japan, in all of our comparators around eight in ten people who had 
received an item of post in the past week had received mail from businesses. Although a 
smaller proportion of those in Japan had received this type, it was still the most likely 
category of mail to be received; seven in ten (69%) said they had received it.  
In all of our comparators except the US, parcels were the next most likely category of mail to 
have been received, with at least half of those in each country who had received any post in 
the past week saying they had received at least one parcel during this time period.  
A quarter (24%) of those in the UK who had received any post in the past week had received 
personal mail. This was lower than in France (34%) the US (32%) and Germany (28%).  
6.3
8.0
5.9
4.0
9.3
4.9
5.1
3.4
6.7
8.4
5.2
4.4
9.3
4.6
4.5
3.3
4.2
0
5
10
15
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
2014
2015
Average number of items

347 
 
Categories of items received in the past week 
Figure 7.31
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015 Base: All respondents who received at 
least one item of post in the last week, UK=886, FRA=879, GER=873, ITA=710, USA=753, JPN=791, 
AUS=813, ESP=731, SWE=775  Q.16 Which of these types of items would you say you have 
personally RECEIVED through the post in the last WEEK?  Please think about items that are 
addressed to you personally rather than items like leaflets or anything else that may come through 
your letterbox. 
Although people in the UK are the most likely to have sent a card, those in the US are 
the most likely to have received one 
Although one-third of people in the UK who had sent mail in the past month had sent an 
invitation, greetings card or postcard (Figure 7.28), this type of mail had been received by 
just 13% of those who had received any mail during the past week. People in the US were 
most likely to have received this type of mail, with one-fifth (19%) saying that they had. This 
compares to the 27% who said they had sent a card in the past month.  
The difference in the proportions who had sent and received this type of mail may be due to 
the differing time periods that are asked about in the consumer research. When asked about 
mail sent, respondents were asked to recall what they had sent in the past month; when 
asked about mail received, they were asked about the past week. 
Those in the US were the most likely to have received direct mail, with two-fifths (41%) 
saying they had received direct mail in the past week. This was slightly higher than in the UK 
(36%), which was on a par with Germany (35%) and Italy (34%). Those in Spain and 
Australia were the least likely to have received direct mail in the past week. 
In all countries apart from Japan, bills, invoices or statements were the type of mail that the 
highest proportion of people reported receiving in the past week. In Japan, the type of mail 
that the greatest proportion said they had received was a small parcel (36%).   
Respondents who have received any item of post in the past week (%) 
24
34
28
23
32
20
22
20
19
80
83
82
82
85
69
78
77
82
51
41
50
46
57
45
35
28
41
56
56
57
56
54
54
50
50
51
0
20
40
60
80
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Personal mail
Business mail
Advertising mail
Parcels

348 
 
Types of mail received in the past week 
Figure 7.32
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015 Base: All respondents who had 
received any item of post in the past week, UK=886, FRA=879, GER=873, ITA=710, USA=753, 
JPN=791, AUS=813, ESP=731, SWE=775Q.16 Which of these types of items would you say you 
have personally received through the post in the last week? 
7.3.6 Reliance on post as a way of communicating  
The proportion of people in the UK and the US who consider themselves reliant on 
post as a way of communicating has increased 
The proportion of people in the UK who said they were either ‘very reliant’ or ‘fairly reliant’ on 
post as a way of communicating increased by 6pp in 2015 to 62%. In the US, the proportion 
of people who said this increased by 9pp, also to 62%. These two countries were the most 
reliant of all our comparator countries on post, followed by Italy (61%) and Australia (60%). 
In almost all of the other comparators, the proportion of people who considered themselves 
reliant on post remained broadly the same year on year. The exception was Germany, 
where the proportion of people who considered themselves reliant on post fell by 5pp to 
47%. 
People in Japan were the least likely to consider themselves reliant on post (20%), followed 
by Spain (25%).  
38
36
36
55
47
20
21
60
36
38
35
55
32
38
34
55
34
38
41
64
36
34
26
30
33
29
18
60
28
34
11
53
35
30
25
67
0
20
40
60
80
Smaller parcels
Larger parcels
Direct mail
Bills/ invoices/ statements
Respondents who have received any item of post in the past week (%) 
40
33
37
40
31
48
34
33
49
26
24
44
31
43
45
22
30
33
41
24
41
20
21
47
34
30
45
0
20
40
60
Letters from organisations you have a
relationship with
Standard circulars
Catalogues/ brochures
15
13
17
25
14
32
20
14
31
15
13
23
21
19
41
13
10
10
14
12
17
15
8
19
12
11
39
0
20
40
Personal letters
Invitations/ greetings cards/ postcards
Magazines you subscribe to
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE

349 
 
Reliance on post as a way of communicating 
Figure 7.33
 
Source: Ofcom consumer research October 2015, October 2014 Base: All respondents, UK=1006, 
FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006, AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004 Q.17 
How reliant would you say you are on post as a way of communicating? 
 
 
 
13
18
11
13
14
13
10
13
20
26
4
4
20
20
3
5
15
43
44
41
40
38
34
49
48
33
36
15
16
42
40
23
20
34
21
21
23
26
28
28
20
20
21
19
35
34
20
20
34
35
25
14
12
16
14
14
17
16
15
13
8
31
33
10
11
22
21
15
6
5
8
6
5
6
4
3
8
7
14
12
5
6
17
18
9
0
20
40
60
80
100
2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2015
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Very reliant
Fairly reliant
Neither reliant nor not reliant
Not very reliant
Not at all reliant
Don’t know
Respondents (%)