Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Merchandise imports from high-income economies was 44.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sri Lanka, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 44.9% for merchandise imports from high-income economies in 2023.
That represents a change of up 23.9% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sri Lanka peaked at 79.4% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 36.3%, in 2022.
Sri Lanka ranks 149th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 60.4% | — |
| 1961 | 61.4% | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 63.7% | +3.8% |
| 1963 | 60.8% | -4.6% |
| 1964 | 57.4% | -5.6% |
| 1965 | 63.0% | +9.7% |
| 1966 | 56.4% | -10.5% |
| 1967 | 63.2% | +12.2% |
| 1968 | 62.2% | -1.6% |
| 1969 | 66.0% | +6.0% |
| 1970 | 61.7% | -6.4% |
| 1971 | 62.5% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 75.3% | +20.5% |
| 1973 | 74.4% | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 59.5% | -20.0% |
| 1975 | 63.7% | +6.9% |
| 1976 | 66.4% | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 63.3% | -4.6% |
| 1978 | 71.9% | +13.5% |
| 1979 | 69.5% | -3.2% |
| 1980 | 67.4% | -3.1% |
| 1981 | 77.0% | +14.2% |
| 1982 | 70.6% | -8.3% |
| 1983 | 69.6% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 79.4% | +14.0% |
| 1985 | 72.0% | -9.4% |
| 1986 | 72.2% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 71.9% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 67.4% | -6.4% |
| 1989 | 67.2% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 62.9% | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 66.4% | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 64.4% | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 68.3% | +5.9% |
| 1994 | 67.6% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 66.2% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 65.7% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 67.5% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 69.9% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 72.1% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 70.5% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 66.9% | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 66.4% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 61.4% | -7.5% |
| 2004 | 57.5% | -6.4% |
| 2005 | 51.8% | -9.9% |
| 2006 | 50.7% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 51.5% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 53.5% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 53.9% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 55.1% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 50.1% | -9.1% |
| 2012 | 52.3% | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 51.9% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 47.5% | -8.6% |
| 2015 | 55.2% | +16.3% |
| 2016 | 42.5% | -23.1% |
| 2017 | 43.3% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 46.3% | +6.9% |
| 2019 | 43.2% | -6.8% |
| 2020 | 40.8% | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 37.5% | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 36.3% | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 44.9% | +23.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 44.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 56.4%, 80% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 44.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 39.5%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 61.5% | 56.4% | 66.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 66.8% | 59.5% | 75.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.5% | 67.2% | 79.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 67.1% | 62.9% | 72.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.4% | 50.7% | 70.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.7% | 42.5% | 55.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.9% | 36.3% | 44.9% | 4 |
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)
- 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 imports from high-income economies in Sri Lanka?
- Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sri Lanka was 44.9% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from high-income economies recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 79.4% in 1984.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from high-income economies recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.3% in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for merchandise imports from high-income economies?
- Sri Lanka ranks 149th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from high-income economies rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Merchandise imports from high-income economies are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from high-income economies according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.