Executive Summary
International parcels accounted for 37% of traffic and 53% of revenue
In 2023, among operators with 50 or more employees, 63.0% of all parcels were domestic, 27.4% originated in other countries (inbound international parcels) and 9.6% originated in Portugal and were sent abroad (outbound international parcels). In total, international orders accounted for 37.0% of traffic.
In terms of revenue, 47.0% came from domestic orders, 21.6% from inbound international orders and 31.3% from outbound international orders. In other words, international orders accounted for 53.0% of the turnover of this service.
The European Economic Area was the origin or destination of 35.4% of orders and generated 40.1% of revenue
Around 98.9% of Portugal’s inbound international orders and 86.3% of outbound international orders originated from or were destined for countries in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Taking into account all international parcels (inbound and outbound), the EEA was the origin or destination of 95.6% of international parcels and 35.4% of total traffic.
EEA countries accounted for 92.2% of inbound international parcels and 64.4% of outbound international parcels. Overall, the EEA accounted for 75.7% of international parcel turnover and 40.1% of total turnover for this service.
Unit revenue from parcels was EUR 4.88
In 2023, the average revenue per parcel order was EUR 4.88. Revenue per order was lowest for domestic orders (EUR 3.64), followed by unit revenue for inbound international orders (EUR 3.85) and outbound international parcels (EUR 15.90).
Average revenue per parcel of traffic for non-EEA destinations was 3.5 times higher than for EEA destinations, while revenue per parcel of traffic for non-EEA destinations was 7.5 times higher than for EEA destinations.
The number of full-time employees accounted for 82.6%
The number of full-time employees accounted for 82.6% of the total number of employees involved in parcel delivery, while part-time and temporary employees accounted for 2.3% and 15.0% respectively. These employees may not be exclusively engaged in parcel delivery.
85.9% of subcontractors delivered parcels
In 2023, 11 parcel delivery services subcontracted 569 companies. Most of the subcontractors were involved in parcel distribution (85.9%) and transport (23.7%).
