Denmark's national postal service to stop letter carrying
March 6 (UPI) -- Sending and receiving letters in Denmark will take a big hit by 2026 as its national postal service will stop letter deliveries when 2025 comes to a close.
The Nordic nation has had a national postal service since 1624, but the current state-run postal service PostNord says that due to a 90% drop-off in letter volume since 2000, it's ending its letter-carrying services.
"We will continue to deliver letters throughout the year, before delivering the last letters at the turn of the year in 2026." CEO of PostNord Denmark Kim Pedersen said in a press release.
PostNord will begin to remove Denmark's current 1500 red mailboxes starting in June.
Letters can continue to be received and sent however, according to Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen who says "a free market for both letters and parcels" will remain in place.
More than a thousand workers will lose their jobs as a result of the change.
"It's a super sad day. Not just for our department with 20-30 people, [which is] closing down at the end of the year. It's for 1,500 people who face an uncertain future," PostNord employee Anders Raun Mikkelsen said.
The move is also a result of Danes moving to digital communication, as they typically keep all personal identifications and information on their cell phones, and the use of cash has also become uncommon. Public services utilize a Digital Post app, and local authorities send all alerts electronically.
However, it is estimated that 271,000 Danes still rely on physical mail, especially for medical correspondence. TV2 reports that the distribution company Dao will take over the remainder of the letter services in 2026, and those looking to send a letter will need to drop it off at one of the company's Daoshop outlets to do so.
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