Transport services in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Transport services was 31.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
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 imports.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 31.5% for transport services in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, transport services in Sri Lanka peaked at 70.9% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 30.8%, in 2021.
That places Sri Lanka 97th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Transport services 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% |
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 | 36.0% | 30.8% | 49.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 94 Senegal 32.1% compare
- 95 El Salvador 31.9% compare
- 96 Cape Verde 31.7% compare
- 98 Singapore 31.3% compare
- 99 Timor-Leste 31.3% compare
- 100 Gabon 31.2% compare
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 31.5% 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 70.9% in 1977.
- What is the lowest transport services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.8% in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for transport services?
- Sri Lanka ranks 97th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is transport services rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. 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.
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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.