Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) was 11.56 billion current US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
11.56 billion current US$
Change on year
down 9.4%
World rank
89th
of 206 countries
All-time high
12.76 billion current US$
in 2022
All-time low
173.46 million current US$
in 1972
Years of data
64
1960–2023
Merchandise exports by the reporting economy in Sri Lanka, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise exports by the reporting economy in Sri Lanka stood at 11.56 billion current US$.
The figure is down 9.4% on the previous year and up 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise exports by the reporting economy in Sri Lanka peaked at 12.76 billion current US$ in 2022 and was at its lowest, 173.46 million current US$, in 1972.
That places Sri Lanka 89th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 308.20 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 288.90 million current US$ | -6.3% |
| 1962 | 307.50 million current US$ | +6.4% |
| 1963 | 299.20 million current US$ | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 308.40 million current US$ | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 317.80 million current US$ | +3.0% |
| 1966 | 270.80 million current US$ | -14.8% |
| 1967 | 281.80 million current US$ | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 264.20 million current US$ | -6.2% |
| 1969 | 256.49 million current US$ | -2.9% |
| 1970 | 275.32 million current US$ | +7.3% |
| 1971 | 237.98 million current US$ | -13.6% |
| 1972 | 173.46 million current US$ | -27.1% |
| 1973 | 214.13 million current US$ | +23.4% |
| 1974 | 419.91 million current US$ | +96.1% |
| 1975 | 448.22 million current US$ | +6.7% |
| 1976 | 467.86 million current US$ | +4.4% |
| 1977 | 597.00 million current US$ | +27.6% |
| 1978 | 759.99 million current US$ | +27.3% |
| 1979 | 837.90 million current US$ | +10.3% |
| 1980 | 850.67 million current US$ | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 866.48 million current US$ | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 831.85 million current US$ | -4.0% |
| 1983 | 892.94 million current US$ | +7.3% |
| 1984 | 1.22 billion current US$ | +36.6% |
| 1985 | 1.10 billion current US$ | -9.4% |
| 1986 | 1.05 billion current US$ | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 1.21 billion current US$ | +15.1% |
| 1988 | 1.33 billion current US$ | +9.3% |
| 1989 | 1.36 billion current US$ | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 1.67 billion current US$ | +22.8% |
| 1991 | 1.81 billion current US$ | +8.2% |
| 1992 | 2.29 billion current US$ | +26.7% |
| 1993 | 2.53 billion current US$ | +10.6% |
| 1994 | 2.93 billion current US$ | +15.9% |
| 1995 | 3.50 billion current US$ | +19.4% |
| 1996 | 3.77 billion current US$ | +7.5% |
| 1997 | 4.32 billion current US$ | +14.7% |
| 1998 | 4.65 billion current US$ | +7.5% |
| 1999 | 4.43 billion current US$ | -4.6% |
| 2000 | 5.13 billion current US$ | +15.6% |
| 2001 | 4.49 billion current US$ | -12.4% |
| 2002 | 4.35 billion current US$ | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 4.74 billion current US$ | +9.0% |
| 2004 | 5.29 billion current US$ | +11.6% |
| 2005 | 5.82 billion current US$ | +10.1% |
| 2006 | 6.21 billion current US$ | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 7.48 billion current US$ | +20.5% |
| 2008 | 7.95 billion current US$ | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 7.00 billion current US$ | -11.9% |
| 2010 | 8.43 billion current US$ | +20.3% |
| 2011 | 10.05 billion current US$ | +19.2% |
| 2012 | 8.98 billion current US$ | -10.6% |
| 2013 | 9.91 billion current US$ | +10.3% |
| 2014 | 10.83 billion current US$ | +9.3% |
| 2015 | 9.74 billion current US$ | -10.0% |
| 2016 | 10.02 billion current US$ | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 11.16 billion current US$ | +11.4% |
| 2018 | 11.56 billion current US$ | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 11.69 billion current US$ | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 9.87 billion current US$ | -15.5% |
| 2021 | 12.23 billion current US$ | +23.9% |
| 2022 | 12.76 billion current US$ | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 11.56 billion current US$ | -9.4% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 11.56 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.56 billion current US$, 1.0× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 11.56 billion current US$ is above the median for South Asia, which is 6.38 billion current US$, 1.8× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +96.1% | 214.13 million current US$ | 419.91 million current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 290.33 million current US$ | 256.49 million current US$ | 317.80 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 443.18 million current US$ | 173.46 million current US$ | 837.90 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.07 billion current US$ | 831.85 million current US$ | 1.36 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.19 billion current US$ | 1.67 billion current US$ | 4.65 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.85 billion current US$ | 4.35 billion current US$ | 7.95 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.24 billion current US$ | 8.43 billion current US$ | 11.69 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.60 billion current US$ | 9.87 billion current US$ | 12.76 billion current US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 86 Bahrain 12.27 billion current US$ compare
- 87 Paraguay 11.89 billion current US$ compare
- 88 Dominican Republic 11.89 billion current US$ compare
- 90 Jordan 11.12 billion current US$ compare
- 91 Uzbekistan 10.98 billion current US$ compare
- 92 Papua New Guinea 10.86 billion current US$ compare
More private sector data for Sri Lanka
- Merchandise trade 32.2% (2025)
- Food imports 15.3% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 59.7% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 21.48 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 27.3% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 66.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 13.58 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 624.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1248 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 6.33 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise exports by the reporting economy in Sri Lanka?
- Merchandise exports by the reporting economy in Sri Lanka was 11.56 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise exports by the reporting economy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 12.76 billion current US$ in 2022.
- What is the lowest merchandise exports by the reporting economy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 173.46 million current US$ in 1972.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for merchandise exports by the reporting economy?
- Sri Lanka ranks 89th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise exports by the reporting economy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Merchandise exports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise exports by the reporting economy to the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current US$.