by WorldTribune Staff, January 4, 2026 Real World News

After 401 years, Denmark’s postal service has ended national letter delivery.

Posting a letter in one of its iconic red mailboxes is no longer an option. In fact, the red mailboxes have been sold off.

Denmark is the first country in the world to decide physical letters are no longer essential or economically viable.

“For the past 20 years, we’ve seen a major decline in letters in Denmark; the majority of all our communication is now electronic,” PostNord head of press Isabella Beck Jørgensen said. “We are one of the most digitalized countries in the world.”

The number of letters being sent in Denmark has dropped by 90% in the past 25 years.

In the year 2000, PostNord delivered nearly 1.5 billion letters. Last year, it delivered 110 million. Postage stamp costs have soared to 29.11 krone ($6.84).

PostNord described the decision as “difficult” but essential. The company will now focus solely on its profitable parcel delivery service, which continues to grow each year as online shopping continues to boom.

Since June, PostNord has been removing all 1,500 of its iconic red mailboxes across the country.

It only took three hours for the first 1,000 of the postboxes to be sold for charity — at roughly $472 each. Others will go to museums.

PostNord will continue delivering letters to neighboring Sweden, where the population is less digitalized.

Danes can still send a love letter or a Christmas card in 2026, but only through a private company. They must either drop it at a shop, or pay extra to have it collected from home, which is available online or via an app.

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  Denmark is first country to end letter delivery, WorldTribune.com