16-04-2026

During 2025, people in Estonia sent 780,000 letters by post. Compared with the previous year, letter volumes declined by 16%, and over the past ten years by nearly 80%.

“When compared to Estonia’s population, this means that the average person in Estonia sends half a letter per year. Digitalisation has fundamentally changed the way people communicate. What was once the main channel for exchanging information has now become a niche service, used mainly for special occasions – from wedding invitations to handwritten postcards,” said Martti Kuldma, Chairman of the Management Board of Omniva.

Of all letters sent, 515,000 were posted via letterboxes. That is 26% less than in 2024, when around 700,000 letters were posted through letterboxes. The remaining letters were sent from post offices.

At the same time, the cost of providing postal services continues to rise alongside broader increases in input costs. “The less mail there is to cover the cost of transport, and the more expensive transport itself becomes, the higher the delivery cost of each individual postal item. At the same time, the availability of postal services remains important for society. In cooperation with the state, we are actively looking for solutions to ensure the economic sustainability, accessibility, and quality of postal services also in an era of low volumes,” Kuldma said.

At the same time, e-commerce continues to grow, and parcel volumes are increasing. “One important solution is to integrate the postal network with the parcel network. This year, we will begin integrating letterboxes into parcel lockers in locations where a parcel locker is already available nearby. This will also make everyday services more convenient for customers, as parcel and postal services will be brought together in one service point,” Kuldma explained.

Omniva is also monitoring letterbox usage and gradually reducing the number of letterboxes that are no longer used in practice.

“I believe it is important to start a broader discussion in society about how to ensure the accessibility and quality of postal services in the future, in light of changing consumption habits, including what the delivery frequency should be. Currently, mail is delivered five days a week,” said Martti Kuldma.

Source: Omniva