DHL Group Reports Strong Q2 Growth and Raises 2026 Outlook
- Aug 10
- 2 min read
DHL Group delivered strong revenue and earnings growth in the second quarter of 2026, supported by higher shipment volumes, favorable air freight market conditions and continued improvements in productivity and efficiency.
Group revenue increased by 13% year-on-year to €22.4 billion, compared with €19.8 billion in Q2 2025. Operating profit (EBIT) rose even faster, climbing 30% to €1.9 billion, while the EBIT margin improved from 7.2% to 8.3%.
Strong First-Half Performance
For the first six months of 2026, DHL Group generated revenue of approximately €42.8 billion, up 5.3% compared with the same period last year.
Operating profit reached €3.34 billion, representing an increase of more than 19%, while consolidated net profit rose 13.5% to approximately €1.82 billion.
Free cash flow excluding M&A also developed strongly, reaching €1.8 billion in the first half of 2026 compared with €1.1 billion a year earlier.
Express and Global Forwarding Drive Growth
DHL Express was one of the strongest contributors during the quarter. Revenue increased by 21.5% to €7.13 billion, while EBIT surged by more than 64% to €1.2 billion.
The division benefited from increased transported shipment weight, disciplined capacity management and temporary capacity constraints in the international air freight market.
DHL Global Forwarding also delivered positive results despite continued volatility across global freight markets. Revenue increased 17.9% to €5.45 billion, while EBIT rose 21.9% to €240 million.
Growing air and ocean freight volumes, combined with DHL's global network and ability to respond to changing trade flows, supported the division's performance.
Investing in the Future of Logistics
DHL Group continues to invest heavily in its global network as part of its Strategy 2030.
Capital expenditure reached approximately €1.3 billion during the first half of 2026, an increase of 25% compared with the previous year.
Investment is focused on digitalization, automation and logistics infrastructure, including modernization of the global Express fleet, automated warehousing and sorting technologies and new digital solutions.
The Group is also expanding in strategic growth sectors such as Life Sciences & Healthcare, New Energy and Data Center Logistics, with investments across the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands and Asia-Pacific.
Image source: dhl.com
