Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in was 1.6% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in in Sri Lanka, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 1.6% for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in in 2023.
That represents a change of down 3.2% on the previous year and up 223.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.8% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1976.
That places Sri Lanka 70th 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 imports from low- and middle-income economies in in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.1% | — |
| 1961 | 1.0% | -8.1% |
| 1962 | 1.1% | +13.4% |
| 1963 | 1.2% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | -24.9% |
| 1965 | 0.9% | +7.9% |
| 1966 | 0.3% | -67.4% |
| 1967 | 0.5% | +60.7% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | +59.0% |
| 1969 | 0.5% | -34.8% |
| 1970 | 0.2% | -59.9% |
| 1971 | 0.1% | -34.1% |
| 1974 | 1.5% | +1011.2% |
| 1975 | 0.7% | -54.5% |
| 1976 | 0.1% | -80.3% |
| 1977 | 0.2% | +28.8% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | +436.5% |
| 1979 | 1.8% | +95.6% |
| 1980 | 4.0% | +120.1% |
| 1981 | 3.1% | -21.8% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | -42.3% |
| 1983 | 2.3% | +28.1% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | -35.1% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | +30.1% |
| 1986 | 3.5% | +78.7% |
| 1987 | 2.5% | -27.3% |
| 1988 | 4.6% | +83.3% |
| 1989 | 5.8% | +24.8% |
| 1990 | 4.5% | -22.3% |
| 1991 | 3.0% | -32.4% |
| 1992 | 2.4% | -20.3% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -37.3% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -20.0% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | +25.0% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | -32.5% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -31.4% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -15.5% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | +15.8% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -23.2% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +79.2% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | -62.6% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | +16.7% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | +12.8% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | +14.3% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +13.1% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -26.1% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | +41.2% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | -38.8% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | +138.7% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +58.3% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | +31.5% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -11.6% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +27.3% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -13.1% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | +12.5% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | -3.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 4.7× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.1%, 1.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in 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 | +1011.2% | 0.1% | 1.5% |
| 1978 | +436.5% | 0.2% | 0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.8% | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.1% | 1.5% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 0.7% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 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 low- and middle-income economies in in Sri Lanka?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in in Sri Lanka was 1.6% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 1989.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1976.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in?
- Sri Lanka ranks 70th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 223.1%. 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 imports from low- and middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (% 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 low- and middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from low- and middle-income economies in the Sub-Saharan Africa region 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.