The logistics industry is a composite service industry that integrates transportation, warehousing, freight forwarding, and information industries. It is an important part of the national economy. It involves a wide range of fields, attracts a large number of jobs, and has a great role in promoting production and consumption. It plays an important role in structural adjustment, transformation of economic development mode and enhancement of national economic competitiveness.

The contribution of the logistics industry to the gross national product can be measured by the ratio of the output value created by the logistics industry to the gross national product. From 2001 to 2008, the logistics industry's added value as a proportion of GDP showed a fluctuating downward trend, and from 2009 to 2013 showed a fluctuating upward trend, indicating that the logistics industry's position in the entire national economy has improved. In 2013, the added value of China's logistics industry was 3.9 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.5%, an increase of 1.1 percentage points from the first half of the year, but a decrease of 0.7 percentage points from the same period last year. The value added of the logistics industry accounted for 6.8% of GDP, and the value added of the service industry accounted for 14.8%.