The courier, express, and parcel market (CEP) grew robustly in 2024. This is shown by the latest CEP study 2025, recently published by the Federal Association of Parcel and Express Logistics (BPEX). According to the study, the volume of shipments increased overall by 115 million to around 4.29 billion. This corresponds to a growth of 2.8 percent. Total revenue rose by 4.1 percent to around 27.6 billion euros. Thus, the parcel industry remains on a stable growth path despite the challenging development of the global economy. In 2024, approximately 266,300 people worked in the parcel industry. This is 5,800 or 2.2 percent more employees than
in the previous year.
Due to the growth in online commerce, the private customer business, in particular, continued to increase in 2024. B2C shipments rose by 5.5 percent in 2024, making up 60 percent of all CEP shipments. In contrast, the volume of B2B shipments (shipping from company to company) declined by 1.6 percent. This is primarily due to weak domestic economic conditions and demand. The varied development of market segments over the year shows that the parcel industry is not spared from the difficult overall economic world situation.
BPEX: Politics must also deliver
"We live in turbulent times in which the CEP industry keeps
the economy and society running," explains Marten Bosselmann, Chairman of BPEX. "The robust growth of almost three percent is a testament to an industry that continues to evolve—with smart solutions, new technologies, and a keen sense of what customers expect today: speed, reliability, and increasingly sustainability."
"To continue to enable growth, politics must also deliver. This means less bureaucracy and regulation as well as practical guidelines and meaningful reporting obligations," demands Bosselmann.
Further growth forecast
By 2030, around 5.19 billion shipments are possible If the forecasts are met, a total shipment volume of 5.19 billion shipments is expected by 2030. This would correspond to an
average annual growth of 3.2%. By 2029, the number of transported CEP shipments could already surpass the 5-billion mark.
The CEP study has been published annually since 2004 and is prepared by KE-CONSULT Kurte & Esser GbR on behalf of BPEX. It provides a current and comprehensive picture of market development, trends, and the economic significance of the entire CEP industry in Germany. In a special chapter, the CEP Study 2025 highlights the key trends in the industry up to 2030. The focus is particularly on out-of-home delivery, international trade, e-commerce, investments in cyber and physical security, and the future requirements for the job profile
