The international express market has shaken off the global financial crisis with solid averageannual volume growth of 7% a year over the last five years, driven by emerging markets, according
to a new report commissioned by the Global Express Association.The international express delivery has thus shown solid growth following the global financialcrisis and has grown faster than world trade over the 2009 – 2013 period, the study by FrontierEconomics found.
However, there has been a slowdown in growth rates. Volumes increased by 6% in 2009, 12% in 2010and 6% in 2011, as the sector recovered from the global economic crisis, and then more moderatelyby 4% in 2012 and 5% in 2013, according to figures from the GEA members (DHL, FedEx, TNT andUPS).
According to the report, Europe is the largest regional market with about 47% of volumes, basedon the sum of outbound and inbound cross-border volumes. Asia Pacific follows with 25%, ahead ofNorth America (21%), Middle East & Africa (4%) and Central & South America (3%).
However, growth has been strongest in regions outside of Europe and North America in recentyears, the report found. The Middle East & Africa and Central & South America were thefast-growing regions between 2011 and 2013, although from low base figures.
Asia Pacific generated strong growth in flows to Europe (+22%) but low growth to North America(+4%), Europe had single-digit growth to North America (+8%) and Asia (5%), while North Americashowed 4% growth to Asia and a 2% volume decline to Europe, according to the report.
The express delivery industry facilitated some three million jobs in 2013 and had a totaleconomic impact of over $140 billion, or nearly 0.2% of global GDP, the report said.
