Merchandise trade in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Merchandise trade was 32.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Merchandise trade in Sri Lanka, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Sri Lanka is 32.2%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Sri Lanka peaked at 77.0% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 27.6%, in 1972.
Sri Lanka ranks 171st of 204 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 56.6% | — |
| 1961 | 51.1% | -9.7% |
| 1962 | 50.8% | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 54.6% | +7.3% |
| 1964 | 61.8% | +13.2% |
| 1965 | 42.3% | -31.5% |
| 1966 | 43.2% | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 38.3% | -11.3% |
| 1968 | 38.9% | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 37.8% | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 31.7% | -16.0% |
| 1971 | 29.5% | -7.1% |
| 1972 | 27.6% | -6.2% |
| 1973 | 29.2% | +5.7% |
| 1974 | 34.9% | +19.4% |
| 1975 | 36.5% | +4.7% |
| 1976 | 32.2% | -11.8% |
| 1977 | 35.6% | +10.5% |
| 1978 | 66.4% | +86.5% |
| 1979 | 72.7% | +9.6% |
| 1980 | 77.0% | +5.9% |
| 1981 | 66.5% | -13.6% |
| 1982 | 60.0% | -9.8% |
| 1983 | 55.8% | -7.0% |
| 1984 | 55.2% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 53.1% | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 48.0% | -9.7% |
| 1987 | 51.6% | +7.7% |
| 1988 | 53.6% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 53.4% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 57.2% | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 56.0% | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 60.8% | +8.6% |
| 1993 | 66.3% | +9.0% |
| 1994 | 68.1% | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 68.9% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 68.4% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 69.4% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 68.2% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 66.6% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 70.6% | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 68.5% | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 65.3% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 62.5% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 66.4% | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 62.2% | -6.4% |
| 2006 | 60.6% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 58.9% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 55.0% | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 41.3% | -24.9% |
| 2010 | 37.7% | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 45.0% | +19.4% |
| 2012 | 40.6% | -9.9% |
| 2013 | 36.6% | -9.6% |
| 2014 | 37.2% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 34.6% | -6.9% |
| 2016 | 33.5% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 34.3% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 36.1% | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 35.8% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 31.0% | -13.6% |
| 2021 | 37.4% | +20.9% |
| 2022 | 42.3% | +13.2% |
| 2023 | 34.2% | -19.3% |
| 2024 | 31.7% | -7.1% |
| 2025 | 32.2% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.5% | 37.8% | 61.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 39.6% | 27.6% | 72.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.4% | 48.0% | 77.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.0% | 56.0% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.1% | 41.3% | 70.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.2% | 33.5% | 45.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.8% | 31.0% | 42.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More private sector data for Sri Lanka
- 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$), annual growth rate 6.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 987.31 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Sri Lanka?
- Merchandise trade in Sri Lanka was 32.2% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 77.0% in 1980.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.6% in 1972.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for merchandise trade?
- Sri Lanka ranks 171st out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). 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
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-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. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.