Transport services (% of commercial service imports) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Transport services (% of commercial service imports) was 29.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Transport services in Sri Lanka, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 29.7% for transport services in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.8% on the previous year and down 24.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, transport services in Sri Lanka peaked at 70.9% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 29.7%, in 2025.
That places Sri Lanka 106th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Transport services (% of commercial service imports) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 70.3% | — |
| 1976 | 69.5% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 70.9% | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 62.2% | -12.2% |
| 1979 | 67.8% | +9.0% |
| 1980 | 61.7% | -8.9% |
| 1981 | 57.1% | -7.5% |
| 1982 | 55.1% | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 57.4% | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 56.5% | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 59.8% | +5.9% |
| 1986 | 57.8% | -3.4% |
| 1987 | 58.2% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 59.8% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 62.1% | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 64.2% | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 59.7% | -7.1% |
| 1992 | 60.9% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 58.4% | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 57.2% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 58.1% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 58.8% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 59.9% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 59.8% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 58.9% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 61.6% | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 48.7% | -20.9% |
| 2002 | 56.7% | +16.4% |
| 2003 | 58.4% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 60.6% | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 61.8% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 62.0% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 62.8% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 66.1% | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 62.3% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 65.9% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 69.9% | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 47.1% | -32.6% |
| 2013 | 40.3% | -14.6% |
| 2014 | 40.1% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 39.5% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 38.6% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 38.8% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 38.3% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 37.6% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 49.4% | +31.3% |
| 2021 | 30.8% | -37.7% |
| 2022 | 37.1% | +20.6% |
| 2023 | 31.1% | -16.2% |
| 2024 | 31.5% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 29.7% | -5.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 29.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 31.9%, 93% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 29.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 25.6%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Transport services (% of commercial service imports) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -37.7% | 49.4% | 30.8% |
| 2012 | -32.6% | 69.9% | 47.1% |
| 2020 | +31.3% | 37.6% | 49.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 68.1% | 62.2% | 70.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 58.6% | 55.1% | 62.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 59.6% | 57.2% | 64.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.1% | 48.7% | 66.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.6% | 37.6% | 69.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.9% | 29.7% | 49.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More private sector data for Sri Lanka
- Merchandise trade 32.2% (2025)
- Food imports 14.9% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 63.8% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 21.48 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 3.35 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 29.0% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 63.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 13.58 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 7.05 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 624.24 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is transport services in Sri Lanka?
- Transport services in Sri Lanka was 29.7% in 2025, 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 70.9% in 1977.
- What is the lowest transport services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.7% in 2025.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for transport services?
- Sri Lanka ranks 106th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is transport services rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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 imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.