Comprehensive Measurement of Space Efficiency of Chinese Pharmaceutical Cold-chain Logistics in the Post-pandemic Era Based on Envelope Analysis

With the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, the combined influence of the Two-Vote System, the New Medical Reform, and the rapid proliferation of the “Internet + Healthcare” model has brought Chinese pharmaceutical cold-chain logistics into a stage of policy-intensive growth. Market scale has continued to expand, and service quality has improved, while regional spatial allocation efficiency remains uneven. Through envelope analysis integrated with spatial comparative analysis, this study measures the geospatial allocation efficiency of Chinese pharmaceutical cold-chain logistics across 31 provinces, defining space efficiency as the capacity of geographic units to optimize logistics outputs relative to localized infrastructure and resource constraints. Panel data from 2019 to 2022 are analyzed using DEAP VERSION 2.1 to evaluate dynamic efficiency through the Malmquist index and static efficiency through CCR and BCC models. Results show that the overall efficiency level is high but still below the DEA frontier, with significant regional disparities and total factor productivity strongly dependent on technological progress. The findings support policy guidance, infrastructure investment, talent development, and RFID/wireless temperature-monitoring systems for coordinated high-quality development.