It has long been that sending a postcard during the summer holidays is a habit reserved for the most nostalgic. Handwritten love letters now mostly belong to the realm of fiction, and more and more companies offer to receive bills electronically instead of in the mailbox. At the same time, the rise of e-commerce has transformed the postal business to an unprecedented extent: for the first time in history, more packages than letters are sent through these services in Spain. This is shown by the data from a report published this Wednesday by the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC).
According to this body, during 2025, 1.335 billion packages were sent, 10% more than the previous year and 148% more than in 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. In contrast, traditional shipments (letters, postcards, administrative notifications, or direct advertising) fell by 8%, down to 1.164 billion. In fact, these were half of those in 2019 and a third of those in 2015.
Last year, the parcel business earned 7.325 billion in revenue, 10% more than in 2024 and 86% more compared to the pre-pandemic period. On the other hand, the turnover of the traditional postal sector grew less, almost 3% to 1.146 billion, and fell 17% compared to 2019 levels. This segment is basically maintained thanks to public administrations – which carry out 30% of shipments – and notifications, the only letter-format product that increased in 2025, with 88 million units and 7.7% more.
The parcel business earned 7.325 billion in revenue, 10% more than in 2024 and 86% more compared to 2019
According to the report published by the CNMC, two out of three courier and parcel shipments were light packages (up to 2 kg), and almost eight out of ten traditional shipments were ordinary letters or postcards.
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Letters are still the undisputed domain of Correos, which maintains an 84% market share in this sector, while in parcels it controls 16% of total activity. The strong increase in e-commerce shipments also explains that companies registered in the postal operators registry have increased from 1,765 to 4,565 in the last ten years. In the parcel segment, competition is much broader and more and more companies share the market.
Citizens’ habits go hand in hand with this overtaking of courier services over letters. According to the CNMC Household Panel (carried out in the second half of 2025), only 14% of Spaniards sent letters, 43% received them from companies or suppliers, and 43% received administrative notifications. On the other hand, 61% have received at least one shipment from an online purchase at home. Only 10% of respondents have received a package not linked to e-commerce.
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