China’s civil aviation cargo rises 16.6 percent year-on-year in May 2025, with international air freight up 26.3 percent. Photo: Screenshot of China Media Group’s report
From January to May, China’s total social logistics value reached 138.7 trillion yuan ($19.1 trillion), up 5.3 percent year-on-year, according to data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Sunday. The sector remains broadly stable with a more optimized structure, marked by steady growth in industrial goods logistics and accelerating demand in consumer-related logistics.
In May, driven by industrial upgrading and policy support, logistics demand across most industrial sectors remained resilient. Equipment manufacturing contributed over half of the growth in industrial logistics, leading structural improvements, CFLP said.
Logistics demand in sectors such as automobile manufacturing, computers, communications and other electronic equipment rose by more than 10 percent. Policies promoting equipment renewal also notably boosted logistics volumes for motors, ships and related manufacturing.
Consumer logistics demand continued to accelerate. From January to May, logistics for goods related to individuals and households rose 6.4 percent year-on-year, up 0.5 percentage points from the first four months. In May alone, the growth rate reached 8.3 percent, 2.1 percentage points higher than that in April, driven by trade-in policies for consumer goods and holiday spending, according to CFLP.
Besides, new consumption models such as livestreaming e-commerce and on-demand retail are maturing, while e-commerce promotions and government subsidies further boosted demand. During the same period, online retail sales of physical goods rose 6.3 percent year-on-year, up 0.5 percentage points from January to April.
China’s import logistics structure is gradually shifting from traditional bulk commodities toward higher value-added industrial goods. From January to May, overall import logistics continued to decline due to external uncertainties, but structural divergence has become more pronounced. Logistics volumes for iron ore, coal and steel fell by 5.2 percent, 7.9 percent and 16.1 percent respectively, while imports of machine tools and integrated circuits rose by 25.1 percent and 8.4 percent respectively, highlighting the resilience in intermediate goods.
Moreover, treen and renewable resource logistics saw coordinated growth, with demand along the new energy industry chain continuing to strengthen. From January to May, logistics related to renewable resources rose 16.2 percent year-on-year, up 0.3 percentage points from the January-April period. In May alone, the growth stood at 13.3 percent. Meanwhile, logistics volumes for the production of new-energy vehicles and automotive lithium-ion batteries surged by over 30 percent year-on-year.
China’s logistics industry generated 5.6 trillion yuan in revenue from January to May, up 4.2 percent year-on-year. The transport network remains stable, with structural upgrades and stronger cross-border air and rail capacity supporting smooth circulation.
In May, civil aviation cargo rose 16.6 percent year-on-year, with international air freight up 26.3 percent. China-Central Asia freight trains climbed 30.9 percent to 1,321 trips in May, while multimodal transport and the shift from road to rail for bulk goods continued to gain traction, CFLP said.
From January to May, China handled 6.833 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) via rail-water intermodal transport, up 18.4 percent year-on-year. By integrating transport modes and streamlining procedures, the sector has effectively reduced logistics costs and improved overall efficiency, it said.
Liu Yuhang, director of the China Logistics Information Center, highlighted that the steadily increasing share of multimodal transport reflects the significant progress made in promoting such integration — a key driver in reducing overall logistics costs, according to China Media Group’s report.
From January to May, major surveyed logistics enterprises reported a 6.5 percent year-on-year increase in business revenue. Profitability among logistics firms remained generally stable, with key operational indicators showing steady performance.
Looking ahead, expanded policy support for equipment upgrades and trade-in programs is expected to drive continued recovery in logistics related to equipment manufacturing and consumer goods.
China’s total social logistics value surpassed 360 trillion yuan for the first time in 2024, with total annual logistics industry revenue reaching 13.8 trillion yuan. The country has maintained its position as the world’s largest logistics market for nine consecutive years, according to CFLP’s report released on Friday.
