BEIJING -- China's express delivery services grew rapidly in 2017, the State Post Bureau said on Saturday.

A total of 40.1 billion parcels were delivered last year, up 28 percent. The sector generated 496 billion yuan ($77 billion) in 2017, up 24.7 percent year on year, according to the bureau website.

China has the world's largest express delivery sector, accounting for more than 40 percent of the world's total delivery volume.

Growth of express delivery services has created jobs, with the number of employees in the sector up 130 percent by November 2017 from January 2014, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

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 at that time.