Letter prices in Europe - DHL

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.


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.


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 €


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


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


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


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


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


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.


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.


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 €


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


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

Documents

Letter prices in Europe - DHL