BEIJING - China's courier sector posted strong growth in 2016 thanks to continued efforts to boost consumption and services, according to the State Post Bureau (SPB).

The sector generated 397.44 billion yuan ($57.58 billion) in revenue last year, up 43.5 percent year on year, the bureau said.

A total of 31.28 billion deliveries were made last year, up 51.4 percent year on year, the bureau said.

The SPB data showed that Guangzhou was the city with the most express deliveries made last year, followed by Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing and Hangzhou.

The country plans to extend the courier network and improve computerized systems, services and international connections by 2020.

The target annual revenue of the courier sector will be 800 billion yuan by 2020, according to a policy document released by the State Council last October.

A survey conducted by the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing and e-commerce giant JD.com in April showed that about 80 percent of the surveyed 4,363 delivery men are satisfied with their earnings, while nearly 90 percent of them worked for eight to 12 hours due to rapid business growth.