Please, Mr. Postman! Denmark bids farewell to letter delivery and mailboxes

Epistolophobes rejoice! On Dec. 30, Denmark’s national postal authority PostNord will stop delivering paper letters, concluding a service first offered in 1624.

The decision to sunset the delivery of physical missives is a pragmatic one: PostNord reported an operating deficit of 428 million krone — or €57 million — last year. Given the volume of physical missives processed has decreased by over 90 percent since 2000, ending the service is a clear cost-cutting decision.

“PostNord Denmark has a long history in which letters have been an important part, but with Denmark being one of the most digitalized countries in the world, most of the Danes no longer send physical letters,” said Andreas Brethvad, the company’s director of public affairs and communications. The postal authority will now pivot to focus on the delivery of e-commerce parcels instead — a service used by eight out of every 10 Danes who routinely shop online.