The price of a first-class stamp is cheaper in the U.S. than many other developed countries, according to a recent ranking by the USPS Office of the Inspector General, or OIG.
The office compared the U.S. to 30 other nations that were selected by country size and postal service revenue, as well as the ability to source reliable data. The list includes much of the European Union, along with countries such as Canada, Japan, Brazil and Russia.
In raw numbers, only four countries had cheaper stamps than the U.S. And while many postal services have raised prices in recent years, the U.S. increases were moderate compared to most nations in the sample.
“The price of a [USPS] stamp increased by 26 percent from June 2018 to June 2023 ($0.50 to $0.63),” the inspector general report states, “which is less than half of the average increase for our sample size (55 percent) during that period.”
When the OIG adjusted its analysis for purchasing power parity — a currency conversion rate used to compare the relative affordability of goods in different countries — the U.S. had the lowest stamp price of the 31 postal services.