Switzerland Ahead of Austria and Germany in the Annual UPU Postal Index

Switzerland ranks first in the annual index of the Universal Postal Union ahead of Austria and Germany. The bottom three are Mozambique, Haiti, and Mali (ranks 168-170). The Postal Development Report 2020 also notes that even the most developed postal operators are heavily reliant on the success of e-commerce due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Bern) Switzerland has defended its top position in the annual ranking of the Universal Postal Union among 170 countries in the Postal Development Report 2020. The Swiss Post achieved the maximum score of 100 points. According to the report, the postal service made further progress in terms of reliability and relevance in 2019 while maintaining its exceptional performance in reach and resilience. The Director General of the Universal Postal Union, Bishar A. Hussein, commented on the success of the postal service: “My sincere congratulations to Swiss Post. You are a shining beacon for the rest of the international postal sector and an outlier for innovation and creativity.”

For CEO Robert Cirillo, it is not a habit

For Roberto Cirillo, CEO of Swiss Post, which has been named the best postal service in the world for the fourth time, this is not a matter of habit: “By no means is this a habit. It fills me with great joy and pride. That we receive this award again this year is anything but a given. We have had a very turbulent year so far. The times have once again made it clear to me and the management that it is our employees who make the postal service. They are the heart and face of the post. They are all mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons who have certainly felt uncertainty due to Corona time and again. And yet they were there – for the people in Switzerland. In short: Our employees are the best in the world. Only because of them did the postal service manage to reach the top of the ranking again.” Austria has moved up four positions with Austria Post and is now in second place with a total score of 95.3. This was achieved through significant improvements in reach, relevance, and resilience, as well as high performance in reliability. “This award is a confirmation of the service and quality that we offer and continuously develop as Austrian Post. I am particularly pleased about this. The recognition belongs to all postal workers who have already proven this year under difficult conditions what we as Austrian Post are capable of together,” said Post General Director Dr. Georg Pölzl with joy. In third place, Germany and Deutsche Post DHL Group achieved 94.2 points. According to the report, Germany has managed to consolidate its position and offers a balanced performance with a slight improvement in reliability.

23 billion data records since 2013

The Integrated Index for Postal Development relies on a wide range of postal data – nearly 23 billion records since 2013 – to create a detailed picture of postal development worldwide. Each country is evaluated based on four main pillars: reliability, reach, relevance, and resilience. The inputs are integrated into an algorithm that provides an overall score between 0-100 for each country. The report also mentions five regional champions: Singapore (10th), Poland (13th), Brazil (45th), Tunisia (46th), and Ghana (57th). In addition to the postal index, the Postal Development Report 2020 includes an examination of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on postal operations.

Details: 2020 Postal Development Report

Photo: © UPU www.upu.int