Letter prices in Europe Up-to-date international letter price survey 17 March 20 ion 16th edit Letter prices in Europe 3 In Germany, the price for a domestic standard letter remains at € 0.70. The consolidated comparison of prices adjusted for differences in labor costs and purchasing power shows again that Deutsche Post charges very affordable postage rates that are in the bottom quarter of all the countries under review. The postage rate for letters is only more affordable in seven generally much smaller states, while it is more expensive in 23 countries. Sending a standard letter is most expensive in Denmark, Italy, and Croatia. Taking into account the average rates of inflation, it becomes clear that the German letter price has risen by approximately 11 % since 2007 when adjusted for inflation. However, this is far lower than the average of the countries surveyed, which exceeds 41 %. When comparing the average number of minutes employees need to work to earn an amount equivalent to the postage price of a domestic letter, German letter prices are particularly low. Only in Malta and Switzerland do workers have to work less to earn the postage rate of a standard letter. 1Summary This is the sixteenth time Deutsche Post has presented a study, drawing a comparison between letter prices charged in Europe. This study covers all 28 member states of the European Union, and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) member states of Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. The study is not carried out from a purely nominal perspective which, on its own, would not allow for an objective evaluation of letter prices in the countries under consideration. The investigation also includes economic factors, which are required to obtain an informative and realistic comparison. They include macro-economic factors and the development of inflation rates in the countries under review. As in previous studies, it is initially the nominal prices in the different countries that are compared for the year 2017. The price of a domestic standard letter has increased in 14 of the countries under review compared to the previous year. On average in Europe, postage rates for domestic letters have therefore risen by € 0.08 year-on-year. Postage charges for letter mail within Europe were increased in 12 states. A letter to a European country outside of Germany now costs on average € 0.11 more than in last year’s survey. At € 0.90, the postage charge for a letter within Europe sent from Germany was significantly below the average charge of € 1.38 and is thus one of the most affordable letter prices in Europe. Contents 1Summary 2 2 Comments on methodology 5 3 Nominal price comparison 3.1 Domestic letter mail 6 3.2 Letter mail within Europe 8 4 Price developments since 2007 10 5 Work in minutes per letter price 12 6 Adjustment for labor costs 14 7 Adjustment for purchasing power differences 16 8 The consolidated result 18 Published by Deutsche Post AG Headquarters Corporate Public Policy and Regulation Management 53250 Bonn www.dpdhl.com Editor Design Photography March 2017 Regine Stöldt, Alexander Rometsch +C Kommunikationsdesign Caroline Gärtner Deutsche Post DHL Group, Stefan Abtmeyer (letters), PostNL, An Post, Poste Italiane S.p.A., Posti Oy, Royal Mail Group, Poşta Română, La Poste S.A., Poczta Polska, PostNord AB, Posten Norge AS Letter prices in Europe 5 2 Comments on methodology This study begins by comparing and contrast ing prices for standard domestic letters and letter mail within Europe in the 28 member states of the European Union and in the EFTA countries of Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. For domestic letters, the study considers the fastest letter mail product in all countries under review, which according to current product specifications generally carries a next-day delivery target (D+1). The only letter products included were those with quality criteria enabling them to be compared to one another, in particular with regard to transit time. This method is also applied to countries such as Denmark and Italy, which have raised their letter prices with a transit time of D+1 to a particularly high level compared to those with lower transit times as a response to substitution-related decline in demand. The aim of the methodological approach chosen for the comparison in combination with the inclusion of key macro-economic factors is designed to provide an objective and sound picture of European letter prices. In countries where value-added tax (VAT) is levied on the letter services considered for this comparison – Norway and Denmark – the study uses the gross price, i.e., the letter price including VAT. This is because the most relevant factor in such a comparison is the actual price that the consumer has to pay for a letter. This study considers standard letters only, as this product represents the lion’s share of all letters sent by private customers and therefore best reflects actual consumer behavior in the letter market. Nominal letter prices in Europe will be pres ented first, followed by the development of letter prices from 2007 to 2016, adjusted for inflation. In addition, the study also calculates the average number of minutes industrial workers have to work in the individual countries to earn the price of a standard letter. Finally, the study compares the letter prices of each country under review, adjusted for factors such as labor costs and purchasing power differences. The relevant values for Germany and the other countries are compared against each other as required by the respective factors to be adjusted for. The calculated ratios are multiplied by the nominal letter prices of the relevant countries which results in the adjusted letter prices. This study takes into account all applicable postage rates or bindingly announced price changes in the countries under review as of March 20, 2017. The data on the individual countries surveyed was taken from Eurostat and the postal companies in the states surveyed. To adjust the letter prices so that they reflect labor costs, statistical data was used that corresponds to the sector under consideration here (postal, courier and express services). In order to calculate the "working minutes per letter", the study used data identified by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research, namely the hourly wages of a worker in the manufacturing industry. Exchange rates also had an impact on letter prices this year. The result was, for instance, that in Switzerland domestic nominal postage rates remained the same in local currency even though in euros they fell by € 0.02. 6 Letter prices in Europe Letter prices in Europe 7 3 Nominal price comparison Nominal price for a domestic standard letter in Euro The price of a domestic standard letter has increased in 14 of the countries under review since the last study was carried out. Small increases by one cent or one penny were made in Slovenia and the UK respectively. In France, the letter price was increased by € 0.05 to € 0.85, the eighth increase in a row identified in this study. In Finland, the charge for a standard letter went up by € 0.10 to € 1.30 for the fourth time in a row. Significant increases since the last study have been seen in Ireland (from € 0.70 to € 1.00), Denmark (from DKK 19 to DKK 27), and Poland (from PLN 2.35 to PLN 3.20). 3.1 Domestic letter mail The European average price for a domestic standard letter is now € 0.88, which is € 0.08 more than one year ago. The price ranges from € 0.26 in Malta to € 3.63 (converted from local currency) in Denmark. With Deutsche Post’s domestic standard letter price of € 0.70, Germany is clearly below average and finishes 16th place in the mid-range of countries. In Germany as well as in 15 other countries, the letter prices remained unchanged over the past twelve months. A price reduction can be reported from Romania, where the postage charge fell from RON 1.60 to RON 1.40.Exchange rate fluctuations have meant, for instance, that domestic postage rates in Croatia converted into euro went up even though the actual postage rate in the national currency remained unchanged. By contrast, in Switzerland, prices are € 0.02 lower when they are converted into euro even though the postage rate for a standard letter remained the same in Swiss Francs. Following the latest price increase, Denmark now heads the list of domestic nominal prices with a charge that converts to € 3.63. It should be noted that value-added tax is included in this price. At € 2.80, the Italian letter price remained at a high level, so that Italy takes up second place. The Italian standard letter includes the option of simplified shipment tracking. With a letter price that 3.63 Denmark 2.80 Italy 1.46 Iceland 1.40 Norway 1.30 Finland 1.00 Ireland 0.92 Switzerland 0.86 Croatia 0.85 France 0.79 UK Belgien 0.79 Netherlands 0.78 Sweden 0.74 Poland 0.73 Greece 0.72 Germany 0.70 Luxembourg 0.70 Slovakia 0.70 Austria 0.68 0.65 Estonia 0.59 Czech Republic Portugal 0.58 Latvia 0.57 0.50 Spain 0.50 Hungary 0.45 Lithuania Bulgaria 0.43 Cyprus 0.41 Slovenia Romania Malta 0.37 0.31 0.26 Average 0.88 converts to € 1.46, Iceland is now in third place. It is followed by two more Scandinavian countries: Norway with a letter price that converts to € 1.40, and Finland at € 1.30. Due to the aforementioned price increase, Ireland climbed up seven positions in the ranking and now takes up sixth place. Poland jumped up by eight places and now ranks fourteenth. The UK and Latvia improved their ranking by three places (in 10th position) and two places (in 23th position), respectively. Lithuania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovenia, and Romania remain at the bottom of the ranking with letter prices below € 0.50. The country charging the lowest letter price in nominal terms is the island state of Malta which has thus consistently placed last in this ranking every year since 2008. 8 Letter prices in Europe 3.2 Letter mail within Europe Prices for standard letters within Europe have risen in twelve of the countries under review. In all these states, the domestic postage charge was increased at the same time. Conversely, only the charge for the domestic letter went up in Slovakia and Denmark. For letter mail within Europe, there has been no price reduction in any of the countries since the last study. The price did not change in 19 states, including Germany. The average price for letter mail within Europe has continued to go up considerably and is now € 1.38, which is € 0.10 more than last year. Significant price rises were found in Sweden (from SKR 13 to SKR 21), Slovenia (from € 1.29 to € 1.77), Ireland (from € 1.05 to € 1.35), and Iceland (from ISK 180 to ISK 225). Moderate price increases of around ten percent were implemented in the UK, Hungary, and France, for example. Letter mail within Europe was also impacted by exchange rate fluctuations: In Croatia, the price for letter mail within Europe remained unchanged in Croatian Kuna (HRK) but went up slightly when converted to euros. In Romania, however, the price in euros went down slightly but remained the same in the local currency. In all countries, it is more expensive to send a letter within Europe than it is to send a domestic letter, with one exception: In Denmark, the domestic letter relevant for this study with a transit time of D+1 costs more than a letter to another European country. In the other states, the price for Europe-wide shipping is 1.9 times the price for a domestic standard letter. At a charge of € 0.90 for a letter to another European country, the ratio in Germany, however, is only 1.3. As with the domestic letter, Italy and Denmark also take up the first two places in the ranking for the European nominal price. Portugal is still in third place. Due to the significant price increase, Sweden leaped from 9th place to 4th place. Slovenia is now in sixth place, after occupying 11th position last year. Iceland moved ahead by seven places to seventh position – a consequence of the significant cost increase for letters sent from Iceland to other European countries. Switzerland improved significantly and moved down five places to 12th position. Nominal price for letter mail within Europe in Euro 3.50 Italy 3.36 Denmark 2.45 Portugal 2.22 Sweden 1.83 Norway 1.77 Slovenia 1.68 Iceland 1.46 Croatia 1.43 UK Germany continues to rank in the bottom quarter of this list in 24th place. Deutsche Post’s postage rate for letter mail within Europe remains unchanged at € 0.90 and is thus significantly below the European average. The bottom group with the most economical nominal postage rates within Europe includes Latvia, Bulgaria, and Cyprus with values below € 0.80 and finally Malta at just € 0.59. 1.40 Estonia Finland 1.40 Switzerland 1.38 1.38 Poland 1.35 Ireland 1.33 Netherlands 1.25 Spain 1.23 Belgien 1.20 Hungary 1.18 Czech Republic 1.10 France 1.00 Slovakia 0.95 Luxembourg 0.90 Greece Germany 0.90 Romania 0.89 Lithuania 0.81 Austria 0.80 Latvia 0.78 Bulgaria 0.77 Cyprus Malta 0.64 0.59 Average 1.38 10 Letter prices in Europe 4 Letter prices in Europe 11 Price developments since 2007 The average rate of inflation in all the countries surveyed was 2 % in the period between 2007 and 2016. This ranged from 0.1 % in Switzerland up to 5.7 % in Iceland. In Germany, the rate of inflation in the past ten years was 1.3 % on average, and in Poland and Estonia it amounted to 2.1 % and 3.4 % respectively. Inflation-adjusted change in letter prices 2007-2016 in Prozent Denmark 324.5 Italy 299.7 Iceland 91.0 Ireland 70.4 Norway 58.2 Finland Taking inflation into account, the price of a standard domestic letter in the European countries surveyed has risen on average by 41.73 % since 2007. In real terms, it fell in five countries but went up in 26 countries. 54.7 Netherlands 54.2 Slovenia 53.8 UK 44.2 Spain 39.3 France 36.2 Estonia 33.9 Czech Republic In a comparison of letter prices in Europe, it makes sense to also look at the respective inflation. In real terms, the letter prices change every year by the rate of inflation, even if the nominal sales price has remained the same. A comparison of the letter prices over the past ten years adjusted for inflation highlights the impact of the various price increase rates. Even when adjusted for inflation, the first two places are still taken up by Denmark and Italy. In Denmark, the letter price has almost quadrupled since 2007 when adjusted for inflation, while it went up by almost 300 % in Italy. With a price increase of 91.0 %, Iceland lags far behind in third place. An unusually high price decrease of over 43 % occurred in Croatia. This can be attributed to the fact that VAT, which was charged on postage rates up to 2009, was abolished in 2010. In addition, the price of domestic standard letters was reduced significantly in 2010. Both factors have a significant impact in this retro-active consideration. The letter price in Lithuania, too, has gone down significantly by more than a quarter since 2007 when adjusted for inflation. This is due to the fact that the letter price in Lithuania was not changed for many years while the country experienced a relatively high rate of inflation at the same time. 33.0 Belgien 23.8 Poland 23.6 Bulgaria 17.4 Luxembourg 16.4 Greece 16.4 Malta 14.7 Portugal 13.7 Sweden 12.6 Slovakia 12.3 Hungary 11.3 Germany 11.2 Cyprus 4.5 Austria Switzerland Romania Latvia 3.4 -1.6 -3.2 -7.3 Lithuania -25.2 Croatia -43.6 Average 41.73 % Postage rates when adjusted for inflation have increased by 11.2 % in Germany since 2007. Germany thus ranks far below the average and occupies a position in the bottom part of the table (24th place). Letter prices in Europe 13 Working minutes per letter price in Minutes Bulgaria 9.18 Italy 8.38 Croatia 7.46 Poland 7.02 Latvia 6.48 Denmark 5.84 Lithuania 5.64 Slovakia 5.61 Romania 5.38 Estonia 5.31 Czech Republic 5.00 Hungary 4.88 Greece 4.03 Portugal 3.94 Iceland 3.60 Finland 5 Work in minutes per letter price 2.70 Ireland 2.34 Cyprus 2.25 Norway 2.04 France 2.01 UK Among other things, the European Union’s Postal Services Directive requires member states to ensure "affordable" prices for universal postal services. One factor in the assessment of real affordability of goods and services is the different wage levels within Europe. To establish how affordable the respective letter prices actually are, the period of time a worker needs to work for in order to be able to pay the postage charge for a standard letter needs to be taken into account. postage rate of BGN 0.85 (€ 0.43). Just like last year, Italy follows in second place at over eight minutes. In Croatia and Poland, you have to work over seven minutes and in Latvia still over six minutes to earn the equivalent of a letter postage rate. Even though many Eastern European countries still take up top places in this ranking, the trend toward a year-on-year decrease in working minutes per postage rate continues in these countries, with the exception of Poland. This calculation is based on the hourly wage of an industrial worker. Once again, the hourly rates communicated by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research and the postal companies for workers in the manufacturing industry have been used as a consistent and reliable data base for the calculation of the working minutes per letter price. Workers in Europe have to work an average of 3.76 minutes to earn enough to cover the postage rate of a standard letter, slightly longer than in the previous year (3.71 minutes). People in Switzerland need to work the shortest amount of time to pay for letter postage – just 1.19 minutes. Germany continues to be the third from the bottom in this ranking with a value of 1.37 minutes per letter. Deutsche Post thus offers a particularly affordable letter price in line with this criterion, too. The country in Europe in which people have to work the longest to earn the cash equivalent of a single domestic postage rate con tinues to be Bulgaria where over 9 minutes of work must be invested to cover the letter 1.89 Spain 1.78 Netherlands 1.74 Slovenia 1.73 Belgien 1.68 Sweden 1.59 Luxembourg 1.57 Austria 1.53 Germany Malta Switzerland 1.37 1.26 1.19 Average 3.76 Minutes 14 Letter prices in Europe 6 Letter prices in Europe 15 Adjustment for labor costs As such, it is taken into consideration that staff costs only comprise a certain proportion of the overall costs of mail transport. As a result, only this proportion is factored into the cost adjustment, while the rest remains unaffected. Letter prices adjusted for labor costs in Euro 3.14 Denmark 2.85 Italy 2.49 Croatia 2.14 Bulgaria For the adjustment, ratios are calculated using the labor costs in Germany and the respective countries which are then multiplied by the share of the letter price accounted for by staff costs. To this end, statistics on the cost of labor in the postal, courier and express services sector in the countries surveyed were used. 1.89 Latvia 1.84 Poland 1.77 Slovakia 1.71 Iceland Estonia 1.66 Lithuania 1.65 1.30 Finland 1.25 Hungary 1.24 Romania 1.14 Czech Republic 1.09 Greece The high significance of the human labor factor continues to be a key operational feature of letter mail transport despite automation. Staff costs, which are incurred in transport in par ticular, make up a serious proportion of postal companies’ overall costs. However, the cost of labor varies widely from country to country. The relevant service providers therefore have to deal with very different amounts of expendi ture for staff costs. An analysis of letter prices where these differences are reconciled therefore provides useful information as well. The average European price adjusted for labor costs in this way is currently € 1.27, and thus € 0.57 higher than Deutsche Post’s letter postage price. The average value is exceeded in eleven countries, while in 20 states the letter price rate is below the average. 1.00 Norway 0.99 Ireland 0.92 UK 0.90 Portugal 0.81 Cyprus Luxembourg 0.80 France 0.78 0.76 Netherlands Due to a significant increase in the letter price rate adjusted for labor costs (€ 0.86), Denmark now leads the 31 countries surveyed at a value that converts to € 3.14. It is closely followed by Italy at € 2.85. Poland, which advanced from eleventh place to sixth place, has clearly suffered in this ranking. The letter price adjusted for labor costs became more expensive there, rising by € 0.56 (converted from local currency). In Ireland, which jumped eight places and is now in 17th place, the domestic postage rate increased by € 0.31 according to this study. 0.73 Spain 0.73 Switzerland 0.70 Germany Belgien 0.67 Sweden 0.65 0.61 Austria Slovenia Malta 0.52 0.47 In Romania, however, the trend is reversed: here the letter price adjusted for labor costs went down by € 0.27 (converted from local currency) – also due to the price reduction – so that the country fell by four places and now ranks 13th. Average 1.27 At € 0.70, Germany occupies 26th place and is thus positioned in the lower range of this table. A lower letter price is only offered in Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Slovenia, and Malta (with labor costs included in the calculation). 16 Letter prices in Europe 7 Adjustment for purchasing power differences Levels of income and social prosperity vary greatly in European countries, which explains why it is important to take the aspect of national purchasing power into account. If you want to make a sustainable statement on the affordability of the letter price in the individual countries, this approach is also of importance. By taking the purchasing power into account, the macro-economic conditions in the countries under review are taken into consideration. It also compensates for the differences in price levels in individual countries which emerge when currencies are converted. Letter prices are divided by the countries’ purchasing power relative to Germany in order to analyze purchasing power parity. This means that letter prices in countries with a relatively high purchasing power, compared to Germany, are cheaper and vice versa. The adjustment is based on purchasing power parities published by the EU statistical office, Eurostat. The comparative price levels are used as a basis and represent the actual price of the same representative basket of consumer goods and services in each country. The average price of a standard domestic letter adjusted for purchasing power differences in the 31 European countries under review in this way is € 0.96 which is € 0.07 more than in the previous year. Letter prices adjusted for purchasing power are below the average in 20 countries. In ten countries, however, this value exceeds the mean, and the Irish letter price matches the mean exactly. In this calculation, too, Italy and Denmark are at the top: the letter price in Italy amounts to almost € 3 and in Denmark to € 2.87 (converted from the local currency), which is € 0.90 more than in last year’s survey. Some distance behind, Croatia continues to be in third place while Poland is now in fourth place. In Norway, the letter price adjusted for pur chasing power has also increased significantly by € 0.15. As a result, the country climbed five positions to eighth place. The Czech Republic jumped from 15th place to 9th place with a letter price adjusted for purchasing power that increased by € 0.21 while Ireland’s position moved all the way from 24th place to 11th place with an increase of € 0.36. Letter prices adjusted for purchasing power differences in Euro Taking purchasing power into consideration, letter prices fell in Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Romania, the UK, and Switzerland. In the table, this became particularly clear in relation to the United Kingdom: with Royal Mail’s letter price adjusted for purchasing power, the country now ranks 24th, ten places below last year’s ranking. At € 0.70, Germany is still clearly positioned in the bottom half of the table in 21st place. At € 0.70, Deutsche Post’s standard letter is € 0.26 below the European average when adjusted for purchasing power. Sending letters is particularly economical for postal customers in Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta where postage (when adjusted for purchasing power) is below € 0.50 in each case. 2.98 Italy 2.87 Denmark 1.44 Croatia 1.34 Poland 1.18 Iceland 1.12 Slovakia 1.11 Finland 1.00 Norway 0.97 Czech Republic Bulgaria 0.97 Ireland 0.96 0.95 Estonia 0.91 Hungary Greece 0.90 Latvia 0.89 0.82 France Lithuania 0.78 Portugal 0.77 Belgien 0.77 Netherlands 0.75 0.70 Germany 0.66 Austria Romania 0.66 UK 0.65 0.61 Luxembourg Switzerland 0.61 Sweden 0.60 0.58 Spain 0.49 Slovenia 0.48 Cyprus Malta 0.34 Average 0.96 Letter prices in Europe 19 8 Consolidated results Consolidated overall result in Euro In this final analysis, the adjustments for the macro-economic factors of both labor costs and purchasing power are consolidated into an overall result that is particularly informative. The average European letter price calculated in this way is now € 1.11, which is € 0.08 higher than last year. Eleven states rank above this average, and 20 below it. Denmark, Italy, and Croatia take up the top three positions. In the case of Denmark, in particular, the consolidated letter price has significantly increased from € 2.08 to € 2.78 (converted from the local currency). Doubledigit eurocent increases have also been identified in Ireland (€ +0.31), Poland (€ +0.28), the Czech Republic (€ +0.21), Iceland (€ +0.19), Croatia (€ +0.14), Norway (€ +0.13), Finland (€ +0.11), and Slovakia (€ +0.10). The consolidated letter price fell, in particular, in Romania (€ –0.18), the UK (€ –0.12), and Switzerland (€ –0.04) so that these three states dropped down in the ranking by several places each. Malta (€ –0.03) and Portugal (€ –0.01) also experienced a slight decline in the consolidated letter price. Germany ranks 24th in this overview and is thus in the bottom quarter of the table. Cheaper consolidated letter prices are only payable in seven, mainly smaller states such as Switzerland, Cyprus, Austria, Slovenia, and Malta. In 23 countries, however, postage is less affordable than in Germany. 3.00 Denmark 2.91 Italy 1.96 Croatia 1.59 Poland 1.55 Bulgaria 1.44 Iceland 1.44 Slovakia 1.39 Latvia 1.30 Estonia 1.22 Lithuania Adjusting letter prices for the cost of labor and purchasing power illustrates particularly clearly that Deutsche Post offers an excellent price-performance ratio for mail delivery compared with the rest of Europe. 1.21 Finland 1.08 Hungary 1.06 Czech Republic 1.00 Norway 1.00 Greece 0.98 Ireland 0.95 Romania 0.83 Portugal 0.80 France 0.78 UK Netherlands 0.76 Belgien 0.72 Luxembourg 0.71 0.70 Germany 0.67 Switzerland Spain 0.66 Cyprus 0.65 0.64 Austria 0.62 Sweden Slovenia Malta 0.51 0.40 Average 1.11 Deutsche Post AG Headquarters Corporate Public Policy and Regulation Management 53250 Bonn Germany www.dpdhl.com March 2017
© Copyright 2026 Paperzz