Danish postal service stops delivering letters after 400 years

The Danish postal service will send Christmas cards for the last time, as it stops letter deliveries at the end of this month after 400 years.

Postvæsenet (now PostNord Danmark) was founded in December 1624, and at its peak carried nearly 1.5 billion letters, but volumes have dropped — and prices have risen — as communication becomes increasingly digital.

Last year just 110 million letters were sent. The service will continue to carry parcels, but letter delivery will be handled by a private company. Denmark is not alone: Canada’s long-ailing postal carrier is facing major cutbacks, and the UK’s Royal Mail has seen volumes fall from 20 billion letters a year to fewer than 7 billion in 2024.