International tourism, expenditures for travel items (current US$) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: International tourism, expenditures for travel items (current US$) was 449.00 million current US$ in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, expenditures for travel items in Sri Lanka, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 449.00 million current US$ for international tourism, expenditures for travel items in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 72.6% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, expenditures for travel items in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.66 billion current US$ in 2018 and was at its lowest, 176.00 million current US$, in 1996.
That places Sri Lanka 81st out of 191 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, expenditures for travel items (current US$) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 186.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1996 | 176.00 million current US$ | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 180.00 million current US$ | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 202.00 million current US$ | +12.2% |
| 1999 | 218.00 million current US$ | +7.9% |
| 2000 | 240.00 million current US$ | +10.1% |
| 2001 | 250.00 million current US$ | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 263.00 million current US$ | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 279.00 million current US$ | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 296.00 million current US$ | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 314.00 million current US$ | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 373.00 million current US$ | +18.8% |
| 2007 | 393.00 million current US$ | +5.4% |
| 2008 | 428.00 million current US$ | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 411.00 million current US$ | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 453.00 million current US$ | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 501.00 million current US$ | +10.6% |
| 2012 | 710.00 million current US$ | +41.7% |
| 2013 | 1.19 billion current US$ | +67.3% |
| 2014 | 1.26 billion current US$ | +6.3% |
| 2015 | 1.42 billion current US$ | +12.4% |
| 2016 | 1.54 billion current US$ | +8.6% |
| 2017 | 1.60 billion current US$ | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 1.66 billion current US$ | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 1.64 billion current US$ | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 449.00 million current US$ | -72.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 449.00 million current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 266.00 million current US$, 1.7× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 449.00 million current US$ is above the median for South Asia, which is 328.50 million current US$, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, expenditures for travel items (current US$) in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -72.6% | 1.64 billion current US$ | 449.00 million current US$ |
| 2013 | +67.3% | 710.00 million current US$ | 1.19 billion current US$ |
| 2012 | +41.7% | 501.00 million current US$ | 710.00 million current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 192.40 million current US$ | 176.00 million current US$ | 218.00 million current US$ | 5 |
| 2000s | 324.70 million current US$ | 240.00 million current US$ | 428.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.20 billion current US$ | 453.00 million current US$ | 1.66 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 449.00 million current US$ | 449.00 million current US$ | 449.00 million current US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More private sector data for Sri Lanka
- Merchandise trade 32.2% (2025)
- Food imports 14.9% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 63.8% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 21.48 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 3.35 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 29.0% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 63.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 13.58 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 7.05 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 624.24 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, expenditures for travel items in Sri Lanka?
- International tourism, expenditures for travel items in Sri Lanka was 449.00 million current US$ in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, expenditures for travel items recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.66 billion current US$ in 2018.
- What is the lowest international tourism, expenditures for travel items recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 176.00 million current US$ in 1996.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for international tourism, expenditures for travel items?
- Sri Lanka ranks 81st out of 191 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, expenditures for travel items rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, expenditures for travel items (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These may include expenditures by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.