(Yicai Global) July 5 -- Chinese courier companies have delivered almost as many parcels this year as they did during the whole year of 2018 amid the e-commerce sector's relentless expansion.

The volume exceeded 50 billion packages as of yesterday, according to data revealed by the State Post Bureau today. Last year, the milestone was reached about two months after this date. The tracker jumped by 10 billion in just a bit over a month this year.

Rural areas are becoming a growth driver, according to the bureau. Non-urban areas make up about 30 percent of the total number of parcels as these regions are benefiting from infrastructure upgrades and the rising e-commerce sector. Some 97 percent of Chinese villages have express delivery outlets.

Express logistics is playing an important role in serving people’s livelihood and the economy, according to the government agency. Each day, about 300 million parcels are sent to or from 600 million people.

In 2020, courier companies delivered almost 83.4 billion parcels, up more than 31 percent from 2019, the same source said in January.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi