This undated file photo shows postal services employees sorting packages in Huainan, Anhui province. (CHEN BIN/FOR CHINA DAILY)

BEIJING - China's courier sector reported a 4.2-percent increase in its business volume in the first four months of this year, official data showed Monday.

The country's delivery service providers handled 31.71 billion parcels in the January-April period, according to the State Post Bureau.

During this period, business revenue of the sector gained 2.3 percent year on year to total 313.33 billion yuan ($46.17 billion), the bureau said.

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In April alone, Chinese delivery service providers saw their business volume and revenue down 11.9 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively, from a year ago.