Which Country Produces The Most Postage Stamps Per Year?

Is the US the biggest offender, or do other countries produce an insane amount of postage?

I would say the US has got to be in the top three, anyway. I can never quite understand why the US issues such vast quantities of stamps to begin with. It seems so counter-productive for the US to issue so many millions (or even billons) of postage stamps for each new issue and then destroy many of them after only a few months time on the market.

The USPS's promotion to "GO GREEN" seems so hypocritical when you consider they are issuing multiple stamps for the same rate (i.e. the upcoming 85c stamps for Glacier National Park and Birds of Prey and Wedding Cake) when one stamp of that denomination would adequately serve the need. Not to mention the environmental impact of destroying perfectly good stamps after only a few months on the market to make way for newer issues. Also consider that self-adhesive postage stamps are not as environmentally friendly as the old lick-and-stick stamps.

I'm sure the USPS is looking at it from the fact that all new issues generate revenue for them by those who buy stamps to collect, rather than those that are put to postal use. However, there is a limit. Personally, I'm reconsidering the idea of buying every new stamp issue as I had been doing, only because the sheer number of stamps make it financially impossible to keep up with such an aggressive program of issuing stamps in a short window of time. Just to consider all of the stamps to be issued in January 2012 alone is overwhelming.

First of all how many of you have heard of the APS (American Philatelic Society) and of those that have, how many remember the "Black Blot" program that they used to have? For those that haven't, this was a program that issued a "Black Blot" award to those countries that issued to many stamps, usually given to african and caribbean nations. Once the USA started to issue bunches of philatelic items, the APS decided to stop issueing these awards, as the USA would have certainly fallen into serious competition (and likely would have won each year) with the nations that seemed to abuse the number needed to maintain a moderate issuance policy.I always found that amusing. So, point here is that the US has been issuing to many stamps for years, and every year a large number of collectors decry the lament. Unfortunately, the USPS will continue to issue what they want, and there will always be collectors buying the stuff. The only way this will stop, IMHO, is to have all collectors skip a year of purchasing. Maybe the dent in sales would tell to PO how many people are actually buying to never use! I personally stopped purchasing US in 2000,as a collectable, thinking it would be a good time to stop. I continue to purchase for use only (no more hunting stamps, countless usless commems, etc.)

Side note: I live in New Mexico. The local post officies have not received the New Mexico statehood stamp, as the region has a automatic distribution policy in effect. My PO got 1 sheet issued to it for sale.
Seems like they could sell a lot more if they would distribute them.... My postmaster is planning on ordering much more.. so I guess all in not lost.

I would have guessed Russia or Hungary lol.

I remember in the early to mid 1980s, the Soviet Union was going crazy too.

There were a couple of years that the S.U. issued a little over an average of 1 stamp per day for the year. I believe it was something like 412 stamps in one particular year if I remember right.

It is policies like these that deters would be prospective collectors away from the hobby. No one except Mr. Gates would be able to keep up with the news issues, forgetting the older classics :(

Chimo

Bujutus

HI

I believe "Linn's Stamp News" used to publish a list of countries and the amount of stamps issued during the year. If I remember correctly the list was compiled by Michel (the catalog publisher).

Jerry B

I'm sure it varies from year to year, but for a while there it was definitely the Eastern Bloc nations and the Soviet Union. Have they cut back since fall of the "iron curtain"? There are other countries like Mongolia, the Grenadines of St. Vincent and Grenada, several African nations and some others who are large producers of stamps, but as mentioned above a lot were on the "black blot" list and saw little to no postal use.

With the current exchange rate what it is, they could make 200 different stamps a year in former eastern block countries, and you could still buy them all for less than $20. Then mounting them becomes a challenge.

I really wish the US would make the definitives all self adhesive, and all the commemoratives and souvenir sheets should be gummed.

Just go back to gummed... i'm sure it would cost them less than these self adhesive's with their backing.

People want self-adhesive. That's why they're doing it. There was an overwhelming positive response from the non stamp collecting public.

take your pick from countries associated with the below link

http://www.igpc.net/

Maybe we should clarify this topic:

Are we talking about the number of face different stamps produced by one country in a year?

Or (as based on my previous post) the quantities printed (in millions or billions) multiplied by every stamp issued in a calendar year for each country?

If the latter, I still suggest the US must be close to the top if not AT THE TOP in that category.

Official figures put the total of PENNY BLACK stamps issued in the UK in 1840 at 63,561,840. The TWO PENCE Blue issue was of 5,382,240 making a total of 68,944,080 stamps issued in 1840. Divide that by the UK population which was around 18.5 million at that time... and you arrive at around 3.7 stamps per person. It would be interesting to compare ratios with today if anyone has statistics?

Checkout this previous thread on the recent 2011 Holiday Stamps from the US totaling 2.4 BILLION stamps with a US population of 307 MILLION equals more than 8 stamps for every man, woman and child in the US!:

https://goscf.com/t/18360&SearchTer...an,and,child

I am more curious to know which country issues the most stamps as a ratio of usage. In other words, one stamp issue for every how many millions of stamped pieces of mail! On that I bet the USA will be doing a lot better than all those minor countries that issue 20 new issues a year, one for each 10,000 pieces of mail!!

I think that Lynns Stamp Almanac has a list for this. I do recall Guyana was #1 one year!