The CEP market continued to grow in 2024. This is shown by the latest study by the German Parcel and Express Logistics Association (BPEX). The forecast: the 5 billion mark could be broken in 2029.

The shipment volume in the courier, express and parcel market (CEP) grew by 115 million to around 4.29 billion in 2024. This corresponds to an increase of 2.8 percent. This is the result of the latest CEP study for 2025, published today by the German Parcel and Express Logistics Association (BPEX). “The robust growth of almost 3 per cent reflects an industry that is continuing to develop – with smart solutions, new technologies and a keen sense of what customers expect today: speed, reliability and, increasingly, sustainability,” says Marten Bosselmann, Chairman of BPEX.

After declining in 2022 and recovering slightly in 2023, shipment volumes will grow more strongly again in 2024. In addition, fluctuations during the course of 2024 will be significantly lower than in previous years. In the first half of 2024, shipment growth in the CEP market was 2.1 per cent. In the second half of the year, it was 3.4 per cent.

Total revenue rises by around 4 per cent

Total turnover in the CEP market rose by 4.1 per cent to around 27.6 billion euros last year. According to BPEX, this means that the parcel industry remains on a stable growth path despite the difficult global economic situation. In 2024, the parcel market accounted for just under 62 per cent of turnover (17 billion euros). Express shipments accounted for 20 per cent (5.6 billion euros). Courier shipments contributed around 18 per cent (5 billion euros).

In 2024, around 266,300 people were employed in the parcel industry. That is 5,800 or 2.2 percent more employees than in the previous year. If the assumptions are correct, the study’s authors believe that an additional 25,800 jobs could be created by 2030.

B2B shipment volume declines slightly

The parcel industry was also affected by the difficult global situation in 2024. This is reflected in the varying developments in the market segments over the course of the year. Due to growth in online retail, the private customer business continued to grow particularly strongly: B2C shipments rose by 5.5 percent and now account for 60 percent of all CEP shipments. By contrast, the volume of B2B shipments fell by 1.6 per cent. According to BPEX, this is mainly due to the weak domestic economy and demand.

In 2024, the market shares for parcel, express and courier shipments shifted further. Parcel shipments accounted for 86.5 percent of the total market. The share of express and courier shipments was 13.5 percent. This means that the share of express and courier shipments continued to decline slightly. In 2014, their share was still 17.4 percent.

Forecast: more than 5 billion CEP shipments in 2029

According to the CEP study 2025, a total shipment volume of 5.19 billion shipments is expected by 2030. This would correspond to an average annual growth rate of 3.2 percent. The number of CEP shipments transported could exceed the 5 billion mark as early as 2029.