letter prices in europe - dhl
TRANSCRIPT
Letter prices in Europe
April 2015
14th edition
Up-to-date international
letter price survey
This is the fourteenth time Deutsche Post has
carried out a study, drawing a comparison
between letter prices charged in Europe. This
study covers letter prices in all 28 Member
States of the European Union and in the Euro-
pean Free Trade Area (EFTA) countries of Ice-
land, Norway and Switzerland. As in previous
studies, the nominal prices in the different
countries were compared for the reference
year 2015. The price of a domestic standard
letter has increased in fifteen of the countries
under review since the last study was carried
out. On average, postage rates for domestic
letters have risen by € 0.04 year-on-year. The
postage rate for letters sent within Europe
increased in 16 countries. Letters sent within
Europe now cost € 0.06 more on average than
they did a year ago.
1 Summary
However, a purely nominal approach would
not allow for an objective assessment of the
letter prices charged in the countries under
review. For this reason, other economic factors
were taken into account in the study. They
include macro-economic factors and the
development of inflation rates in the coun-
tries under review.
The postage rate for standard letters in Ger-
man y rose by € 0.02 in nominal terms to € 0.62
on January 01, 2015. The consolidated compari-
son of postage rates adjusted for differences
in labor costs and purchasing power proves
nonetheless that Deutsche Post charges very
Dobro Došao / herzlich willkommen!Welcome!
Lobrovic Niko
Put Osmina 17 · 10000 Zagreb
Republika Hrvatska
Letter prices in Europe 3
Published by Deutsche Post AG
Headquarters
Corporate Public Policy and
Regulation Management
53250 Bonn
www.dpdhl.com
Editor Alexander Rometsch-Steinmann,
Regine Stöldt
Design +C Kommunikationsdesign
Caroline Gärtner
Photography Deutsche Post DHL: Tobias Schult,
Post Danmark: Lars Schmidt,
Österreichische Post AG,
La Poste France,
Stefan Abtmeyer (letters)
April 2015
Contents 1 Summary 2
2 Comments on methodology 4
3 Nominal price comparison
3.1 Domestic letter mail 6
3.2 Letter mail within Europe 8
4 Price developments since 2004 10
5 Work in minutes per letter price 12
6 Adjustment for labor costs 14
7 Adjustment for purchasing power parity 16
8 The consolidated result 18
affordable postage rates that are way below
the average postage rates charged in all the
countries under review. The postage rate for
letters is only more affordable in five general ly
much smaller States, whereas postal customers
in 24 countries have to pay more than postal
customers in Germany.
The highest consolidated postage rates for
standard letters continue to be charged in
Eastern Europe. This shows that the highest
postage rate for standard letters can still
be found in Bulgaria whereas the country
charging the lowest letter price in Europe is
Malta. The average consolidated letter price
is € 0.04 higher than it was last year at € 0.90.
When adjusted for inflation, postage rates
in Germany have fallen by a good 4 percent
since 2005. Prices have only decreased more
sharply in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Poland
and – under special conditions – in Croatia. By
contrast, the average postage rates in Europe
have risen by more than one-fifth when the
impact of inflation is taken into account.
When comparing the average number of
minutes employees need to work to cover
the cost of a standard letter in the countries
surveyed, German letter prices are extremely
competitive. Only in Switzerland do workers
have to work less to earn the postage rate of
a standard letter.
Letter prices in Europe 5
This survey begins by comparing and con-
trasting prices for standard domestic letters
and letters within Europe in the 28 Member
States of the European Union and in the EFTA
countries of Iceland, Norway and Switzer-
land. This survey considers the fastest letter
mail product in all countries under review,
which according to current product specifi-
cations generally carries a next-day delivery
target (D+1). The only letter products includ-
ed were those with quality criteria enabling
them to be compared to one another. This
approach in combination with the inclusion
of key macro-economic factors is designed to
provide an objective and scientifically sound
picture of European letter prices.
In countries where value-added tax (VAT) is
levied on the letter services considered for
this comparison – Norway, Sweden and Slo-
venia (only for letters within Europe) – the
survey 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 in the various countries. This survey
considers standard letters only, as this prod-
uct 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 2005 to 2014, adjusted for
inflation. In addition, the study also calculates
the average number of minutes industrial
employees 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 surveyed, taking factors such
as labor costs and purchasing power parity
into account. For each country, the value
of the factor they are adjusted for is shown
relative to the corresponding value in Ger-
many. The calculated ratios are multiplied
by the nominal letter prices of the relevant
countries which results in the adjusted letter
prices.
This survey takes into account all postage
rates that were known at the time of going
to print on April 01, 2015. The data on the
individual countries surveyed were taken
from Eurostat and the postal companies in
the countries surveyed. To adjust the letter
prices so that they reflect labor costs, sta-
tistical data was used that most closely corre-
sponds to the sector under consideration here
(postal, courier and express services). In order
to calculate the ‘work in minutes per letter’,
the study utilized data from the Cologne
Institute for Economic Research, namely the
hourly wages of a worker in the manufactur-
ing industry (November 2014).
Exchange rates also had an impact on letter
prices this year. The result was, for instance,
that in Iceland domestic postage rates and
postage rates for letters sent within Europe
remained the same in local currency even
though in nominal terms they increased by
€ 0.13 and € 0.09 respectively.
2 Comments on methodology
6 Letter prices in Europe
3 Nominal price comparison
Domestic postage rates have increased in
15 European countries since the last study
was carried out. The price increases range
from minor increases of € 0.02 in Germany
and € 0.05 in Spain, Portugal and Slovenia to
major increases of € 0.08 in Ireland and € 0.10
in France, Italy, Estonia and Finland. In France,
postage rates increased for the sixth consecu-
tive time. There were no reductions in post-
age rates in any of the countries surveyed.
Fluctuations in currency have meant, for
instance, that domestic postage rates in
Hungary converted into euro dropped even
though the actual postage rates did not
change. By contrast, in Iceland, prices are
€ 0.13 higher when they are converted into
euro even though the postage rate for a
standard letter remained the same in Ice-
landic Krona.
As in the past few years, the highest letter
prices in Europe in nominal terms continue to
be found in Denmark and Norway. It must,
however, be noted that 25 percent value-
added tax is included in the cost of postage
in Norway. Finland continues to rank third in
the comparison of domestic letter mail prices.
3.1 Domestic letter mail
A comparison of nominal prices for a domestic
standard letter shows that Germany continues
to rank in the mid-range of the countries sur-
veyed. The postage rate for standard letters
in Germany has been € 0.62 since January
01, 2015. This is € 0.04 below the European
average which has meanwhile risen to € 0.66
compared to € 0.62 last year.
Letter prices in Europe 7
Postage rates increased in all three countries
in recent months, by around ten percent in
Finland and Denmark and by around five
percent in Norway. The position of another
Scandinavian country, namely Iceland, has
deteriorated. It now occupies 4th position
ahead of Switzerland and Italy. The latter has
moved up from 9th place to 6th place.
The sharp increase in postage rates in Ireland
means that Ireland has moved to 14th position
in the ranking from 17th position last year.
Owing to a price increase of € 0.10 – a good
22 percent – Estonia has moved from position
25 in the ranking up to 21nd. Greece and
Slovakia improved their positions in the rank-
ing, moving to 11rd place and 15th place
respectively. The postage rate for a standard
letter remained stable in both countries.
Spain, Cyprus, Romania and Slovenia which
charge very low postage rates for a standard
letter remain in the lower range of this rank-
ing. The country charging the lowest letter
price in nominal terms is the Iceland-state of
Malta which comes last in the ranking.
1.34
1.26
1.10
0.94
0.82
0.80
0.78
0.77
0.77
0.76
0.72
0.69
0.68
0.68
0.65
0.62
0.60
0.60
0.57
0.56
0.55
0.55
0.47
0.47
0.45
0.44
0.42
0.41
0.36
0.34
0.26
Nominal price for a domestic standard letter
in €
Denmark
Norway
Finland
Iceland
Switzerland
Italy
UK
Belgium
Sweden
France
Greece
Netherlands
Austria
Ireland
Slovakia
Germany
Croatia
Luxembourg
Latvia
Poland
Estonia
Portugal
Czech Republic
Hungary
Lithuania
Bulgaria
Spain
Cyprus
Romania
Slovenia
Malta Average 0.66
3.2 Letter mail within Europe
Prices for standard letters within Europe have
risen in 16 countries under review. The prices
have increased in thirteen countries that also
increased their domestic postage rates. By
contrast, Sweden and Austria only increased
domestic postage rates whereas Belgium,
Lithua nia and Poland only increased postage
rates for European letters. The average price
of a standard letter within Europe has risen by
€ 0.06 to € 1.09. There were sharp price increases,
for instance, in Portugal where the average
price of a standard letter within Europe
rose from € 1.90 to € 2.35 (+24 percent), in
Estonia where the price increased by € 0.20 to
€ 1.20 (+25 percent), in Spain where the price
increased by € 0.15 to € 0.90 (+20 percent) and
in Cyprus where the price increased from € 0.51
to € 0.64 (+25 percent). Minor price increases
of around 10 percent were implemented,
for instance, in Hungary, Ireland and Italy.
Currency fluctuations also impacted the post-
age rates for letters sent within Europe. The
price converted into euro dropped by € 0.05 in
the Czech Republic even though it remained
the same in the national currency. Finland
charges a uniform rate for domestic letters and
letters sent within Europe. In all other coun-
tries, it is more expensive to send a letter within
Europe than it is to send a domestic letter.
However the rates vary greatly. Postal custom-
ers in Portugal and Slovenia have to pay four
times the domestic rate to send letters within
Europe. Customers in Poland, Croatia and
Hungary have to pay twice as much whereas
post age rates vary moderately in Germany,
Norway, Romania, Greece and France where
prices are approximately 1.3 times more ex-
pensive. Customers in Portugal still have to
pay the highest rates for a European letter
in nominal terms. It is followed by Denmark,
Norway and Sweden. Slovakia now ranks 16th
and has moved three places down the ranking
since last year, as have Latvia and Bulgaria
which now occupy 26th and 27th position in
the ranking. Estonia has risen four places in
the ranking, now ranking 10th whereas Italy
(18th position), France (19th position) and
Spain (22nd position) have moved three places
up the ranking. Like last year, Romania con-
tinues to charge the lowest postage rate for
a European letter in nominal terms at € 0.47
when converted into euro, after Malta and
Cyprus. Although Germany increased its post-
age rate from € 0.75 to € 0.80 to send letters
within Europe, it still has a stable ranking in
the lower 25 percent, occupying 25th position.
2.35
1.95
1.68
1.54
1.44
1.29
1.24
1.24
1.20
1.20
1.17
1.15
1.15
1.10
1.05
1.00
1.00
0.95
0.95
0.91
0.90
0.90
0.85
0.81
0.80
0.78
0.77
0.70
0.64
0.59
0.47
Portugal
Denmark
Norway
Sweden
Croatia
Slovenia
Poland
UK
Belgium
Estonia
Iceland
Switzerland
Netherlands
Finland
Hungary
Slovakia
Ireland
Italy
France
Czech Republic
Greece
Spain
Luxembourg
Lithuania
Germany
Latvia
Bulgaria
Austria
Cyprus
Malta
Romania Average 1.09
Nominal price for letter mail within Europe
in €
10 Letter prices in Europe
In order to obtain a well-balanced compari-
son of letter prices charged in the European
countries, it is essential to take the rate of
inflation in the individual European coun-
tries into consideration. A letter price that is
nominally unchanged, for instance, actually
changes annually at the rate of inflation when
that price is viewed in real terms. A compari-
son of the price trends in the 31 countries
under review over the past ten years adjust-
ed for inflation highlights the impact the
rate of inflation has had on prices.
The average rates of inflation in the individ-
ual countries varied greatly in the period
between 2005 and 2014. In Switzerland, the
average rate of inflation was just under 0.5
percent, in Germany and in the Netherlands
it was a mere 1.7 percent and in Slovenia and
Poland it was around 2.5 percent. By contrast,
much higher inflation rates were recorded in
Hungary where prices increased on average
by 4.1 percent, in Latvia by 4.8 percent, in
Romania by 5.4 percent and in Iceland where
prices increased by 6.2 percent.
4 Price developments since 2005
When adjusted for inflation, the price of a
standard domestic letter in the European
countries surveyed has risen on average by
one-fifth (22.5 percent) since 2005. Postage
rates for standard letters have dropped in real
terms in just seven countries but have risen in
24 countries. The high drop in postage rates
for standard letters in real terms in Croatia
can be attributed on the one hand to the fact
that VAT which was charged on postage rates
up to 2009 was abolished in 2010. On the
other hand, the price of domestic standard
letters was reduced significantly in 2010.
In Romania, the postage rates for a standard
letter when adjusted for inflation almost dou-
bled, in Denmark, Latvia, Iceland and Great
Britain they have risen by more than 50
percent in real terms since 2005. In Portugal
and Austria postage rates increased only slight-
ly when adjusted for inflation.
Postage rates when adjusted for inflation de-
creased by 4.2 percent in Germany. This means
Germany currently occupies 27th position in
this ranking list. The only countries in which
postage rates are cheaper when adjusted for
inflation are Switzerland, Luxembourg, Poland
and Croatia.
92.2
76.6
69.7
62.8
52.8
49.8
42.8
39.9
39.5
37.5
31.1
29.6
26.9
22.7
22.5
20.9
15.8
14.7
11.0
9.6
8.2
7.6
2.9
1.9
-2.1
-3.2
-4.2
-4.5
-5.9
-8.5
-62.5
Romania
Denmark
Latvia
Iceland
UK
Netherlands
Slovenia
Czech Republic
Finland
Norway
Estonia
Malta
Ireland
Bulgaria
France
Belgium
Spain
Greece
Sweden
Italy
Lithuania
Hungary
Portugal
Austria
Cyprus
Slovakia
Germany
Switzerland
Luxembourg
Poland
Croatia Average 22.5 %
Inflation-adjusted change in letter prices 2005 – 2014
in %
place in this ranking where a person has to
work just over 10 minutes to cover the postage
rate of a letter. It is fol lowed by Latvia, Roma-
nia, Lithuania, Poland, Slo vakia, and Croatia
where the number of minutes a person has
to work to cover the postage rate of a letter
ranges between 7.5 minutes to 5.5 minutes.
In all the countries ranking at the top of this
table, there is a visible trend indicating that
workers have to work fewer minutes to cover
the postage rate of a standard letter – in Ro-
mania and Croatia around 30 seconds less
than last year.
Workers in Europe have to work an average
of 3.41 minutes to earn enough to cover the
post age rate of a standard letter, slightly
longer than the previous year (3.40 minutes).
Switzerland is at the end of this scale where
workers only have to work 1.27 minutes to
earn enough to cover the postage rate of a
standard letter. Germany ranks second last in
this ranking where workers only have to work
1.29 minutes to earn enough to cover the post-
age rate of a standard letter.
5 Work in minutes per letter price
The European Union’s Postal Services Directive
determines that prices for universal services
have to be „affordable“. In order to be able
to assess the affordability in the individual
European countries, the different wage levels
need to be taken into account. Establishing
how long a person has to work in the individ-
ual countries in order to pay the postage rate
of a standard letter has proven to be a good
benchmark for this assessment. This calculation
is based on the hourly wage of an industrial
worker. Once again, the hourly rates estab-
lished by the Institute for Economic Research
for workers in the manufacturing industry
have been used as consistent and reliable data
for the calculation of the work in minutes per
letter price (November 2014).
The first ten countries in the ranking in which
a person has to spend the most working
time to earn enough to cover the respective
postage price are exclusively countries that
have joined the European Union since 2004.
Bulgaria continues to be posi tioned at first
Letter prices in Europe 13
Bulgaria
Latvia
Romania
Lithuania
Poland
Slovakia
Croatia
Estonia
Hungary
Czech Republic
Iceland
Greece
Portugal
Italy
Finland
UK
Denmark
Cyprus
France
Norway
Belgium
Slovenia
Austria
Sweden
Ireland
Netherlands
Spain
Malta
Luxembourg
Germany
Switzerland
10.58
7.50
7.16
6.31
5.86
5.63
5.27
5.07
4.78
4.09
4.06
4.03
3.85
2.44
2.34
2.29
2.23
2.19
1.87
1.72
1.66
1.65
1.62
1.61
1.60
1.58
1.51
1.40
1.36
1.29
1.27
Work minutes per letter price
in minutes
Average 3.41
14 Letter prices in Europe
6 Adjustment for labor costs
Compared to other industries, labor costs
continue to be a major factor in mail delivery
operations, above all in the last mile delivery,
despite the high level of automation involved.
This is also reflected in the large proportion of
staff costs to overall costs.
Labor costs in the surveyed countries, however,
vary greatly. This means that the individual
European postal companies have to shoulder
differing cost burdens in terms of staff expendi-
ture. A meaningful comparison of letter prices
in high-wage economies such as Germany and
Switzerland with the EU Member States in
Eastern Europe where wages are much lower
can only be made if the varying labor costs are
factored in.
As such, it is taken into consideration that staff
costs only comprise a certain proportion of the
overall costs of mail delivery. As a result, only
this proportion is factored into the cost adjust-
ment, while the rest remains unaffected.
For the adjustment, ratios are calculated
using the labor costs for Germany and the re-
spective countries which are then multiplied
by the share of the letter price accounted for
by staff costs. As such, it was possible to use
statistics on the cost of labor in the postal,
courier and express services sector in the
countries surveyed.
The average European price adjusted for labor
costs is currently € 1.05 and is once again € 0.43
more than the price charged in Germany as in
the previous year.
Bulgaria once again charges the highest post-
age rate adjusted for labor costs at a stable
€ 2.28 followed once again by Latvia, Lithuania
Letter prices in Europe 15
and Slovakia. Croatia now ranks fifth, having
switched places with Estonia which occupies
7th position in the ranking list. The price of a
letter adjusted for labor costs has risen sharply
from € 0.57 to € 0.76 in Cyprus, moving the
island state up ten places in the ranking to
19th position. The price of a domestic letter
adjusted for labor costs has also risen sharply
in Greece from € 0.89 to € 1.03, meaning it has
moved from 17th position up to 13th position.
By contrast, the price of a letter adjusted for
labor costs has fallen by € 0.20 in Portugal
from € 1.07 to € 0.87. Portugal has improved its
position in the ranking by three places and
now occupies 17th position in the ranking
list. In Belgium, the price of a letter adjusted
for labor costs has fallen by € 0.06 to € 0.65
meaning that Belgium has improved its rank-
ing from 18th position to 25th position.
Germany continues to hold its own in this
group with a postage rate of € 0.62, occupy-
ing 28th place in the ranking. Spain, Malta and
Slovenia are the only countries where the price
of a letter adjusted for labor costs is lower.
2.28
2.03
1.84
1.69
1.65
1.58
1.52
1.46
1.32
1.24
1.16
1.11
1.03
0.97
0.93
0.91
0.87
0.79
0.76
0.70
0.69
0.69
0.68
0.67
0.65
0.65
0.63
0.62
0.60
0.51
0.48
Bulgaria
Latvia
Lithuania
Slovakia
Croatia
Romania
Estonia
Poland
Iceland
Hungary
Denmark
Finland
Greece
UK
Czech Republic
Norway
Portugal
Italy
Cyprus
France
Luxembourg
Sweden
Netherlands
Ireland
Belgium
Switzerland
Austria
Germany
Spain
Malta
Slovenia
Letter prices adjusted for labor costs
in €
Average 1.05
16 Letter prices in Europe
7 Adjustment for purchasing power parity
Levels of income and social prosperity vary
great ly in European countries which explains
why it is important to take the factor of natio-
nal purchasing power compared to letter prices
in the individual countries into account. Only
this way a reliable on the affordability of post-
age rates in the individual countries is possible.
By taking the purchasing power into account,
the different macroeconomic conditions in the
countries under review are taken into consid-
eration. Purchasing power parity therefore
also compensates for the differences in price
levels in each country which emerge when
currencies are converted.
Letter prices are divided by the countries’
purchasing power relative to Germany in order
to take purchasing power parity into account.
This means that letter prices in countries with a
relatively high purchasing power, compared to
Germany, are cheaper and vice versa. The cal-
culation 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 in a comparable
currency unit.
The average price of a standard domestic let-
ter adjusted for purchasing power parity in
the 31 European countries under review on
average is € 0.75 which is € 0.05 more than the
previous year. This indicates that the price of
a standard letter in Germany at € 0.62 is way
below the European average even when the
difference in purchasing power parity is taken
into account. By contrast, 15 countries charge
higher prices. Denmark and Poland charge the
highest postage rate adjusted for purchasing
power where the price of a standard letter ad-
justed for purchasing power parity is exactly
€ 1.03 in both countries. In Denmark, the price
increase also led to a sharp rise in the price of a
standard letter adjusted for purchasing power
parity of € 0.12 converted into euro compared
to the previous year.
Estonia has deteriorated by moving five places
up the ranking, now occupying 13th position.
The price of a standard letter adjusted for
purchasing power parity in Estonia has in-
creased by € 0.14 to € 0.79 since the previous
year. In Iceland (which ranks 9th), it has also
risen by € 0.12 to € 0.88. In Italy and France,
the increase in the price of a standard letter
adjusted for purchasing power parity is very
noticeable in this ranking. In Italy, it has risen
Letter prices in Europe 17
1.03
1.03
1.01
1.00
0.96
0.94
0.89
0.88
0.88
0.86
0.85
0.83
0.79
0.78
0.76
0.75
0.74
0.73
0.72
0.71
0.66
0.65
0.64
0.62
0.60
0.58
0.52
0.49
0.48
0.44
0.35
Denmark
Poland
Slovakia
Croatia
Bulgaria
Finland
Greece
Latvia
Iceland
Hungary
Norway
Italy
Estonia
Lithuania
Romania
UK
Portugal
Czech Republic
Belgium
France
Netherlands
Ireland
Austria
Germany
Sweden
Switzerland
Luxembourg
Spain
Cyprus
Slovenia
Malta Average 0.75
by € 0.11, meaning it has worsened its position
by three places. It now occupies 12th position
in the ranking. In France, it has risen by € 0.10.
However, France remains in 20th position in
the ranking, charging € 0.71.
The price of a standard letter adjusted for
purchasing power parity has dropped in five
countries, noteworthy, however, only in Bul-
garia where it fell by € 0.04 which is the first
time it has fallen below the € 1.00 threshold.
Bulgaria which has had the highest price of a
standard letter adjusted for purchasing power
parity for many years, occupies 5th position in
the ranking list this year.
The price of a standard letter adjusted for
purchasing power is particularly low in Spain,
Cyprus and Slovenia. These countries occupy
28th, 29th and 30th position in the rank ing,
where the price of a standard letter is less than
€ 0.50. Malta comes last in the rank ing once
again this year. It continues to have the most
affordable letter price in Europe where the
price of a standard letter adjusted for purchas-
ing power parity is just € 0.35.
Letter prices adjusted for purchasing power parity
in €
18 Letter prices in Europe
its position by three places in this ranking
owing to an increase in the consolidated
letter price by € 0.10 to € 0.81, moving from
19th position up to 17th position. And Cyprus
currently ranks 25th with a consolidated let-
ter price of € 0.62, € 0.14 more than last year.
The consolidated letter price dropped in
Lithuania where it fell by € 0.10 to € 1.31,
meaning that Lithuania has moved two
places down the ranking list and now occupies
5th position. Norway also saw a significant
decrease in the consolidated letter price in
this survey. With a letter price of € 0.88 when
In this final step, the letter prices are adjusted
for the macro-economic factors of both labor
costs and purchasing power and are then
consolidated into an overall result. The value
determined using this method is therefore
particularly reliable and informative. From
this perspective, the European average of
consolidated letter prices is now € 0.90, € 0.04
more than last year. In thirteen countries, the
letter price is higher than this average, in 18
countries it is lower.
After many years, Bulgaria continues to charge
the highest letter prices, with a letter price of
€ 1.62. Latvia, Slovakia, Croatia and Lithuania
follow in the ranking list with a consolidated
postage rate of over € 1.30 respectively.
The trend in Croatia is striking where the con-
solidated letter price converted into euro has
risen by around € 0.20 to € 1.32, meaning that
the country in the Adriatic has moved from
6th position up to 4th position in the ranking.
Estonia remains in 8th position despite the in-
crease by € 0.11 to € 1.16, Italy has worsened
8 Consolidated results
Letter prices in Europe 19
dated price of a letter is only cheaper in the
generally much smaller countries of Luxem-
bourg, Spain, Slovenia and Malta. By contrast,
in 24 countries, it is more expensive than the
postage rate charged in Germany.
It becomes particularly apparent by European
standards when prices take the factors of labor
costs and purchasing power into account that
although Deutsche Post increased its postage
rate by € 0.02 in nominal terms on January 01,
2015, it is actually charging a very affordable
price and is offering excellent value for money
with the mail service it provides.
converted into euro, the Scandinavian country
now occupies 14th position in the ranking list
having ranked 12th in 2014. The consolidated
letter price also fell by € 0.05 in Portugal where
it is now € 0.81, meaning Portugal has im-
proved its ranking from 15th to 18th position.
And Belgium ranks 20th, two positions lower
down the ranking list where the consolidated
letter price also fell by € 0.04 to € 0.68.
Germany has improved its position and is now
placed at 26th in this ranking with the letter
prices charged by Deutsche Post, clearly posi-
tioning itself in the lower range. The consoli-
1.62
1.46
1.35
1.32
1.31
1.24
1.17
1.16
1.10
1.10
1.05
1.02
0.96
0.88
0.86
0.83
0.81
0.81
0.71
0.68
0.67
0.66
0.64
0.64
0.62
0.62
0.61
0.60
0.55
0.46
0.43
Bulgaria
Latvia
Slovakia
Croatia
Lithuania
Poland
Romania
Estonia
Iceland
Denmark
Hungary
Finland
Greece
Norway
UK
Czech Republic
Italy
Portugal
France
Belgium
Netherlands
Ireland
Sweden
Austria
Cyprus
Germany
Switzerland
Luxembourg
Spain
Slovenia
Malta
Weighted consolidated postage rates
in €
Average 0.90
Deutsche Post AGHeadquartersCorporate Public Policy andRegulation Management53250 BonnGermany
www.dpdhl.com
April 2015