Herman Moyano sorts through stacks of letters, small packages, and magazines, preparing for his early morning postal route.
Cargo bikes and vans depart from the depot, located just north of Copenhagen, as Herman sets off on his scooter.
For the past seven years, he has been delivering mail for PostNord, Denmark’s national postal service.
“I used to think that all the people are waiting for something, a special letter, a special communication, a special package,” he reflects.
However, Mr. Moyano has observed a decrease in volume, with deliveries now consisting primarily of bills and bank statements rather than personal correspondence.
“I have seen the mail going down gradually. But that’s picked up pace over the last couple of years,” he notes. “Nowadays, it seems… it’s going really, really down.”
The significant decline in letter volumes is largely attributed to digitalization, prompting PostNord to announce in March that it will discontinue letter services at the end of the year.
This decision will bring an end to four centuries of letter deliveries by the state-owned entity.
PostNord is reducing its workforce by a third, eliminating 2,200 positions within its loss-making letter division. The company will instead concentrate on its profitable parcel business, creating 700 new roles.
“Danes hardly receive any letters anymore. It’s been going down for years and years,” states Kim Pedersen, head of PostNord Denmark. “They’re receiving one letter a month on average, it’s not a lot.”
“On the contrary, Danes love to shop online,” he adds. “Global e-commerce is growing significantly, and we are moving with it.”
Fifteen years ago, PostNord operated numerous large letter-sorting facilities, but now only one remains, located on the western outskirts of Copenhagen.
Since 2000, the volume of letters handled by the business has decreased by over 90%, from approximately 1.4 billion to 110 million last year, and the decline continues at a rapid pace.
As PostNord prepares to cease letter deliveries, 1,500 of its red post boxes are being removed from Danish streets. However, few residents in the capital appear to utilize them frequently.
Copenhagen resident Nikolaj Brøchner Andrès admits he cannot recall the last time he sent a letter. “I don’t think I’ve sent a letter in years… I’m not even sure how to do it anymore, to be honest.”
From email and cashless mobile payments to digital health cards accessible via smartphone, there is an app for almost everything in Denmark, which ranks as one of the world’s most digitalized nations, second only to South Korea, according to the OECD’s 2023 Digital Government Index.
The Danish government has adopted a “digital by default” policy, and for over a decade, correspondence with the public has been conducted electronically.
“We are facing this natural evolution of a digitalised society, earlier than maybe some other countries,” Mr. Pedersen explains. “In Denmark, we are maybe five or 10 years ahead.”
The high cost of sending a letter in Denmark is also a contributing factor to its decline.
In 2024, a new law opened the postal market to private competition and eliminated its exemption from the country’s 25% VAT rate, resulting in the price of a PostNord stamp increasing to 29 Danish krone ($4.55; £3.35) per letter.
“That made [volumes] drop even further faster,” Mr. Pedersen notes.
The significant decrease in the number of letters being posted is mirrored across Europe, according to postal sector expert Hazel King, editor of Parcel and Postal Technology International magazine.
“Letters across Europe have been declining for years,” she states. “I think PostNord’s decision is a reflection of how the whole market has gone, and the way the consumer is moving.”
Physical mail has decreased by 30% or more from its historical peak across all major global markets, according to a report by consultancy firm McKinsey.
In Europe, Germany and Switzerland have experienced the slowest declines in letter volumes, according to Florian Neuhaus, co-author of the study. “It’s only 40% there, but everybody else sees around a 50 to 70% decline [since 2008].”
A similar trend is evident in the US, where mail has decreased by 46%.
“Clearly this is driven by digitalisation and how people communicate in general,” Mr. Neuhaus adds. “Overall, the economics in letters are just getting worse and worse.”
In March, Germany’s Deutsche Post announced it was cutting 8,000 jobs, while cost-cutting measures at the UK’s 500-year-old Royal Mail will reduce second-class letter deliveries to every other weekday, and targets for first-class delivery times have also been lowered.
“I do think that we will see the end of letters in the mainstream,” Ms. King predicts. “However, I’m not sure we’ll ever see zero letters,” highlighting the need to protect medical correspondence and services for the elderly, disabled, and rural communities.
In Denmark, letter deliveries will not cease entirely. Private delivery firm DAO will fill the void with its own nationwide service.
However, DaneAge, an advocacy group for the elderly, expresses concern that older individuals may face challenges due to the changes in letter deliveries.
“Most elderly live in small towns and in the rural places,” says Marlene Rishoj Cordes, a senior consultant at DaneAge. “When there’s not as many post boxes around, they will have a harder time delivering mail.”
Meanwhile, 3F Postal Union, the trade union representing postal workers, has voiced concerns that rural services may deteriorate.
DAO strongly disagrees with these concerns. It is historically a newspaper and magazine distributor with nationwide reach, and has become a major parcel courier in the country.
A recent survey indicated that DAO’s deliveries were faster, with a higher percentage of letters arriving within five days compared to PostNord.
“We are coming to all households, and we are in the rural areas in the whole country,” assures CEO Hans Peter Nissen.
Last year, DAO handled 21 million letters, and following PostNord’s departure in 2026, it anticipates handling an additional 30 to 40 million.
Mr. Nissen explains that DAO staff will deliver letters directly while conducting newspaper and parcel rounds. Mail will be collected from mailboxes located inside affiliated shops, and doorstep pick-ups can be arranged for a small additional fee.
DAO plans to install a new sorting machine and increase its workforce by approximately 250 employees, adding to its current staff of 2,500.
As physical letters decline across Europe, Denmark’s experience may offer a glimpse into the future.
However, in this increasingly digital world, many still find pleasure in sending and receiving personal letters, including Copenhagener Jette Eiring Williams, who writes to her daughter living overseas.
“I think the young generation wants that old school feeling,” Ms. Williams observes. “She loves the physical touch of something, so not just an email or a text anymore.”
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