One country just shut down a service people depended on for generations

Sending and receiving a letter is now a thing of the past in one country. 

PostNord, Denmark's state-run postal service, officially ended all letter deliveries at the start of the new year, citing a more than 90% decline in volume from 2000 to 2024.

The Nordic nation is believed to be the only country in the world to discontinue its letter deliveries, though package distribution is ongoing.

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"Although this is a difficult decision, it is an important step toward a strong PostNord for the future, so we can continue our journey towards becoming the Danes' preferred parcel courier - and which will help ensure even better products in the parcel market," PostNord said in a message on its website.

PostNord said it will switch its focus to parcel deliveries and that any stamps purchased in 2024 or 2025 can be refunded for a limited time in 2026.

"We have been the Danes' postal service for 400 years, and therefore it is a difficult decision to put a bow on that part of our story," PostNord Denmark Chief Executive Kim Pedersen said in a news release announcing the company's plans.

He added that the "market for letters is no longer profitable."

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The decision likely impacts elderly residents the most, according to Marlene Rishoj Cordes with Aeldre Sagen (DaneAge).

Although PostNord said the "vast majority" of Danes use the digital post service, many elderly residents are "very dependent" on letters being delivered regularly, Cordes told Denmark's TV2.

"These include hospital appointments, vaccinations or decisions regarding home care," she said.

PostNord said it started removing the 1,500 mailboxes located throughout the country over the summer.

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"Look closely at the picture here. Soon it will be a rarity," one Danish woman wrote on X last year, alongside a picture of one of the now-defunct mailboxes.

"Now in five years, I will be able to explain to a 5-year-old what a mailbox was in the old days."

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Letters in Denmark can still be sent via private couriers.

PostNord, which is 40% Danish-owned, also operates in Sweden, according to the BBC.

Sweden's letter delivery was not impacted.

Denmark may be the first country to end state-run letter delivery, but it's likely not the last. 

Postal services in other countries are also struggling, including the United States and Canada, according to The Economist.

Marvin Ryder, an associate professor at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University in Canada, said he thinks it's inevitable that letter deliveries will come to an end.

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"I think Denmark is a canary in the coal mine," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). 

"I just think in Canada that's a future at least 10 years down the road."