An express worker processes packages at a delivery station in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, on Feb 24. [Photo by Cao Jianxiong/for China Daily]

BEIJING - China's courier sector saw expansion in February, official data showed.

The China express delivery development index stood at 189 last month, up 20.2 percent year-on-year, the State Post Bureau said.

The sub-indices for development scale, development capacity and development trend rose 62.5 percent, 21 percent and 69.7 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, according to the bureau.

The courier sector handled about 4.8 billion parcels in February, up 73 percent from the same period last year, the bureau said.

The express delivery industry is expected to handle 95.5 billion parcels in 2021, and its operating revenue will reach 980 billion yuan ($151 billion), data from the bureau showed.

Compiled on the basis of data from major logistics firms' operating delivery services, the development index reflects the overall business activities and trends in the country's courier sector.