Merchandise imports in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Merchandise imports was 21.48 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
21.48 billion current US$
Change on year
up 14.0%
World rank
85th
of 206 countries
All-time high
22.23 billion current US$
in 2018
All-time low
310.00 million current US$
in 1965
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Merchandise imports in Sri Lanka, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports in Sri Lanka is 21.48 billion current US$, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.0% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Sri Lanka peaked at 22.23 billion current US$ in 2018 and was at its lowest, 310.00 million current US$, in 1965.
That places Sri Lanka 85th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 413.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 358.00 million current US$ | -13.3% |
| 1962 | 349.00 million current US$ | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 313.00 million current US$ | -10.3% |
| 1964 | 415.00 million current US$ | +32.6% |
| 1965 | 310.00 million current US$ | -25.3% |
| 1966 | 400.00 million current US$ | +29.0% |
| 1967 | 365.00 million current US$ | -8.8% |
| 1968 | 359.00 million current US$ | -1.6% |
| 1969 | 420.00 million current US$ | +17.0% |
| 1970 | 386.00 million current US$ | -8.1% |
| 1971 | 354.00 million current US$ | -8.3% |
| 1972 | 368.00 million current US$ | +4.0% |
| 1973 | 430.00 million current US$ | +16.8% |
| 1974 | 720.00 million current US$ | +67.4% |
| 1975 | 816.00 million current US$ | +13.3% |
| 1976 | 585.00 million current US$ | -28.3% |
| 1977 | 700.00 million current US$ | +19.7% |
| 1978 | 969.00 million current US$ | +38.4% |
| 1979 | 1.47 billion current US$ | +51.3% |
| 1980 | 2.04 billion current US$ | +38.9% |
| 1981 | 1.85 billion current US$ | -9.2% |
| 1982 | 1.83 billion current US$ | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 1.82 billion current US$ | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 1.87 billion current US$ | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 1.84 billion current US$ | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 1.86 billion current US$ | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 2.06 billion current US$ | +10.8% |
| 1988 | 2.26 billion current US$ | +9.9% |
| 1989 | 2.19 billion current US$ | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 2.69 billion current US$ | +22.7% |
| 1991 | 3.05 billion current US$ | +13.7% |
| 1992 | 3.44 billion current US$ | +12.8% |
| 1993 | 3.99 billion current US$ | +15.8% |
| 1994 | 4.78 billion current US$ | +19.7% |
| 1995 | 5.18 billion current US$ | +8.6% |
| 1996 | 5.42 billion current US$ | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 5.84 billion current US$ | +7.8% |
| 1998 | 5.93 billion current US$ | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 5.87 billion current US$ | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 6.28 billion current US$ | +7.0% |
| 2001 | 5.97 billion current US$ | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 6.11 billion current US$ | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 6.67 billion current US$ | +9.3% |
| 2004 | 7.97 billion current US$ | +19.5% |
| 2005 | 8.83 billion current US$ | +10.8% |
| 2006 | 10.26 billion current US$ | +16.1% |
| 2007 | 11.30 billion current US$ | +10.2% |
| 2008 | 13.95 billion current US$ | +23.5% |
| 2009 | 10.05 billion current US$ | -28.0% |
| 2010 | 13.51 billion current US$ | +34.5% |
| 2011 | 20.27 billion current US$ | +50.0% |
| 2012 | 19.19 billion current US$ | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 18.00 billion current US$ | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 19.42 billion current US$ | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 18.93 billion current US$ | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 19.18 billion current US$ | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 20.98 billion current US$ | +9.4% |
| 2018 | 22.23 billion current US$ | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 19.94 billion current US$ | -10.3% |
| 2020 | 16.05 billion current US$ | -19.5% |
| 2021 | 20.64 billion current US$ | +28.5% |
| 2022 | 18.29 billion current US$ | -11.4% |
| 2023 | 16.81 billion current US$ | -8.1% |
| 2024 | 18.84 billion current US$ | +12.1% |
| 2025 | 21.48 billion current US$ | +14.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 21.48 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.19 billion current US$, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 21.48 billion current US$ is above the median for South Asia, which is 17.94 billion current US$, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 370.20 million current US$ | 310.00 million current US$ | 420.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 679.40 million current US$ | 354.00 million current US$ | 1.47 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.96 billion current US$ | 1.82 billion current US$ | 2.26 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.62 billion current US$ | 2.69 billion current US$ | 5.93 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.74 billion current US$ | 5.97 billion current US$ | 13.95 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.17 billion current US$ | 13.51 billion current US$ | 22.23 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.69 billion current US$ | 16.05 billion current US$ | 21.48 billion current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More private sector data for Sri Lanka
- Merchandise trade 32.2% (2025)
- Food imports 15.3% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 59.7% (2024)
- 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$), annual growth rate 6.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 987.31 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Sri Lanka?
- Merchandise imports in Sri Lanka was 21.48 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22.23 billion current US$ in 2018.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 310.00 million current US$ in 1965.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for merchandise imports?
- Sri Lanka ranks 85th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.