BEIJING — China’s postal industry saw a 19.5-percent rise in business revenue year-on-year to reach 217.39 billion yuan ($32.29 billion) in the first quarter, data from the State Post Bureau showed.

The postal industry continued to gain momentum, with Q1 business volume growing 25.3 percent year-on-year to 323.44 billion yuan, said the bureau on its website.

The country’s express delivery sees faster expansion, as express delivery firms made nearly 11.85 billion deliveries in Q1, up 22.8 percent year-on-year.

The deliveries made in March alone nearly approached the total delivery volume in 2012, according to the bureau.

Business revenue of these firms jumped 22.7 percent year-on-year to come in at 138.59 billion yuan in Q1.

The unit price of express delivery further dropped, though at a slower pace, and service quality continued to improve, said the bureau.