Transport services in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Transport services was 26.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Transport services in Sri Lanka, 1975–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service exports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for transport services in Sri Lanka is 26.1%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.9% on the previous year and down 24.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, transport services in Sri Lanka peaked at 50.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 1981.
Sri Lanka ranks 58th of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Transport services in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 42.9% | — |
| 1976 | 38.1% | -11.1% |
| 1977 | 30.9% | -19.0% |
| 1978 | 20.8% | -32.5% |
| 1979 | 19.5% | -6.3% |
| 1980 | 19.4% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 18.5% | -5.0% |
| 1982 | 20.9% | +13.3% |
| 1983 | 24.0% | +14.8% |
| 1984 | 25.5% | +6.3% |
| 1985 | 31.2% | +22.3% |
| 1986 | 31.6% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 36.7% | +16.1% |
| 1988 | 38.7% | +5.5% |
| 1989 | 39.9% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 39.7% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 38.9% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 36.5% | -6.4% |
| 1993 | 38.1% | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 40.2% | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 41.9% | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 45.8% | +9.2% |
| 1997 | 45.7% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 45.2% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 42.9% | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 43.7% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 28.8% | -34.1% |
| 2002 | 41.2% | +43.2% |
| 2003 | 40.5% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 41.4% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 44.3% | +7.0% |
| 2006 | 46.8% | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 47.7% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 50.4% | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 46.2% | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 47.3% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 45.5% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 43.3% | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 38.3% | -11.5% |
| 2014 | 34.5% | -9.9% |
| 2015 | 33.1% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 31.7% | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 30.4% | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 29.8% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 31.4% | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 39.0% | +24.3% |
| 2021 | 24.8% | -36.5% |
| 2022 | 22.2% | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 28.6% | +29.0% |
| 2024 | 26.1% | -8.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 30.4% | 19.5% | 42.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 28.7% | 18.5% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 41.5% | 36.5% | 45.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.1% | 28.8% | 50.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.5% | 29.8% | 47.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.1% | 22.2% | 39.0% | 5 |
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 transport services in Sri Lanka?
- Transport services in Sri Lanka was 26.1% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest transport services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 50.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest transport services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 1981.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for transport services?
- Sri Lanka ranks 58th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is transport services rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Transport services (% of commercial service exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Transport is the process of carriage of people and objects from one location to another as well as related supporting and auxiliary services. Also included are postal and courier services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are commercial services provided by residents to non-residents.