Denmark to End State Letter Deliveries After 400 Years as Digital Shift Accelerates

Denmark’s national postal service, PostNord, will stop delivering letters at the end of this year, marking the end of more than four centuries of state-run mail delivery. The move comes as letter volumes have collapsed in one of the world’s most digitalised nations.

For postal workers like Herman Moyano, who has spent the past seven years delivering letters in Copenhagen, the change has been long in the making. “I’ve seen the mail go down gradually, but in the past few years it’s really accelerated,” he said. What once filled his rounds with personal notes and special deliveries has dwindled to bank statements and bills.

Since 2000, PostNord’s letter volume has plunged by more than 90%, from 1.4 billion to just 110 million last year. Danes now receive on average one letter a month, according to PostNord Denmark CEO Kim Pedersen. “Danes hardly send or receive letters anymore,” he said. “At the same time, online shopping is booming, and that’s where we are focusing.”

The company is cutting about 2,200 jobs from its money-losing mail division but plans to create 700 new roles in its growing parcel business. To match demand, 1,500 of Denmark’s iconic red post boxes are also being removed.

The decline in letter sending has been accelerated by Denmark’s “digital by default” policy, introduced more than a decade ago, which requires nearly all government correspondence to be electronic. Combined with one of the world’s highest stamp prices – 29 kroner ($4.55) – and new taxes following postal market liberalisation, letter mail has become increasingly unviable.

Denmark’s decision reflects a broader global trend. Letter volumes have fallen by nearly half in the United States since 2008, while most European countries have recorded drops of 50–70%, according to McKinsey. Some national postal services are scaling back as a result: Germany’s Deutsche Post is cutting 8,000 jobs, while the UK’s Royal Mail has reduced second-class deliveries.

Still, Denmark won’t be entirely without letters. Private courier DAO, originally a newspaper distributor, will step in to provide nationwide letter delivery from 2026. The company expects to handle up to 40 million letters annually and is hiring 250 more staff to expand its service.

Even so, concerns remain. Advocacy groups for the elderly worry that fewer post boxes and reduced access could disadvantage older Danes, particularly in rural areas. The 3F Postal Union has also warned that service quality could decline. DAO disputes this, saying its network already reaches every household and offers faster delivery than PostNord.

While letters are becoming a rarity, some Danes still cherish the tradition. Copenhagener Jette Eiring Williams, who regularly writes to her daughter abroad, says physical mail still carries a unique value. “She loves the feeling of holding a letter,” Williams said. “It’s more than just an email or text.”

As Denmark embraces a fully digital future, the nation’s farewell to state-delivered letters underscores a wider global reality: the handwritten note may soon be a luxury rather than an everyday expectation.