BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's express delivery industry saw a robust expansion in 2023, driven by a surge in demand as the economic recovery gained further momentum, data from the State Post Bureau (SPB) showed.

Express courier firms nationwide handled 132.07 billion parcels in 2023, up 19.4 percent compared to the previous year. This figure has ranked first in the world for 10 consecutive years, according to the SPB.

The sector raked in total revenue of 1,207.4 billion yuan (about 169.8 billion U.S. dollars) during the period, up 14.3 percent year on year, according to the postal bureau.

In last December alone, China's courier sector witnessed strong expansion, with 13.26 billion deliveries and 118.88 billion yuan in business revenue.