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The UK was the only European country where revenue increased in 2013
The UK was the only European country to experience an increase in revenue in 2013, up by
2.9% on the year, driven by price increases by Royal Mail in 2013 and a continued change in
the mix of mail due to online shopping.
The UK is the most expensive country in which to send a small letter, but among the
cheapest in which to send a standard-size or large letter
At 62p, the UK is the most expensive country in which to send a small letter, followed by Italy
and Sweden (59p). The cheapest country in which to send a small letter is India, where it
costs 5p, followed by China (12p). Outside the BRIC and the Asia Pacific countries, the US
has the lowest price for sending a small letter (31p), closely followed by Spain (32p). As
shown in Figure 7.21, both of these countries have a D+3 delivery standard for their fastest
available letter product.
However, when it comes to sending a standard or large letter, the UK is among the cheapest
in Europe. It costs 62p to send a First Class standard-size letter in the UK, and the only
country in Europe where this is cheaper is Poland (48p). In the majority of our European
comparator countries, it costs more than £1 to send a standard letter. The most expensive
country is the Italy (£1.78), where the price increased by 40% in 2013. Singapore is the
cheapest country to send a standard letter overall (26p), followed closely by India (27p).
In Europe, Poland is the cheapest country to send a large domestic letter (£1.03), followed
by the UK (£1.24). The lowest price overall is India (44p), followed by Singapore (51p). The
most expensive country to send a large letter is Australia (£4.45). This is because the
maximum thickness of a large letter in Australia is 20mm, and as this analysis is based on
the prices for letters which are up to 25mm thick, this price represents the ‘small parcel’ price
offered by Australia Post. Excluding Australia, Sweden is the most expensive country in
which to send a large letter (£2.36).
The reason why the UK is more expensive for a small letter, and cheaper for a standardsized
letter, is that different tariff structures are used in each country. Most postal operators
in Europe have a lower price for small letters and postcards weighing 20g or less, and a
higher price for items which weigh more than 20g or are larger than a DL envelope. In the
UK there is no separate price for a small letter; the price is the same for a small or a
standard-size letter.