Estonians sent 780,000 letters in 2025 amid 16 percent decline
In 2025, people in Estonia sent 780,000 letters by mail, marking a 16 percent annual decline and an 80 percent drop over the past decade as digitalization replaces traditional communication, postal company Omniva reported.
"When we compare this figure with Estonia's population, we can say that the average Estonian sends half a letter per year. Digitalization has fundamentally changed how people communicate. What was once the main channel for exchanging information has now become a niche product, used on special occasions — from wedding invitations to handwritten postcards," said Omniva CEO Martti Kuldma.
Of the letters sent, 515,000 were mailed from street letterboxes — 26 percent fewer than in 2024, when 700,000 letters were posted this way. The remaining letters were sent from post offices.
At the same time, the cost of providing postal services is rising along with the general increase in input prices, Omniva said.
"The less mail there is to cover transportation costs, and the more expensive transportation itself becomes, the more costly the delivery of each individual postal item is," Kuldma said. "At the same time, the existence of postal services remains very important to society. Together with the state, we are actively looking for solutions to ensure the economic sustainability, accessibility, and quality of postal services even in an era of low volumes," Kuldma said.
"Meanwhile, e-commerce and parcel volumes continue to grow. "One important solution is to connect the postal network with the parcel network. This year, we will begin integrating letterboxes into parcel lockers in locations where parcel lockers are already nearby. From the customer's perspective, this also makes everyday tasks easier, as parcel and postal services are combined into a single service point," Kuldma explained.
Omniva is also monitoring the use of letterboxes and is gradually removing those that are no longer used in practice.
"I believe it is important to initiate a public discussion on how to ensure the future accessibility and quality of postal services amid changing consumption habits — including what the frequency of mail delivery should be. Currently, mail is delivered five days a week," Kuldma noted.
The government has begun the privatization of Omniva. In Estonia, Omniva is the provider of the universal postal service.
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Editor: Argo Ideon
