Travel services (% of commercial service exports) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Travel services (% of commercial service exports) was 45.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Travel services in Sri Lanka, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service exports.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 45.6% for travel services in 2025.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Sri Lanka peaked at 52.5% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 15.9%, in 2001.
That places Sri Lanka 87th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Travel services (% of commercial service exports) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 26.4% | — |
| 1976 | 35.4% | +34.0% |
| 1977 | 38.2% | +8.0% |
| 1978 | 49.3% | +29.2% |
| 1979 | 46.6% | -5.5% |
| 1980 | 44.3% | -4.9% |
| 1981 | 43.4% | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 46.4% | +6.8% |
| 1983 | 36.7% | -20.9% |
| 1984 | 38.5% | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 35.2% | -8.5% |
| 1986 | 28.3% | -19.8% |
| 1987 | 23.3% | -17.6% |
| 1988 | 20.8% | -10.8% |
| 1989 | 23.5% | +13.1% |
| 1990 | 30.2% | +28.6% |
| 1991 | 30.2% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 32.4% | +7.2% |
| 1993 | 32.8% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 31.6% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 28.2% | -10.6% |
| 1996 | 22.4% | -20.6% |
| 1997 | 24.6% | +9.5% |
| 1998 | 25.8% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 29.1% | +12.6% |
| 2000 | 27.1% | -6.9% |
| 2001 | 15.9% | -41.1% |
| 2002 | 29.1% | +82.7% |
| 2003 | 31.8% | +9.0% |
| 2004 | 34.0% | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 28.3% | -17.0% |
| 2006 | 25.6% | -9.4% |
| 2007 | 22.0% | -14.2% |
| 2008 | 17.3% | -21.4% |
| 2009 | 18.7% | +8.1% |
| 2010 | 23.5% | +25.8% |
| 2011 | 27.1% | +15.5% |
| 2012 | 27.5% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 36.8% | +33.8% |
| 2014 | 43.6% | +18.4% |
| 2015 | 46.8% | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 49.5% | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 51.0% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 52.5% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 48.4% | -7.9% |
| 2020 | 22.7% | -53.1% |
| 2021 | 20.6% | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 37.3% | +80.9% |
| 2023 | 38.2% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 46.1% | +20.6% |
| 2025 | 45.6% | -1.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 45.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 49.0%, 93% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 45.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 43.2%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 39.2% | 26.4% | 49.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 34.0% | 20.8% | 46.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.7% | 22.4% | 32.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.0% | 15.9% | 34.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.7% | 23.5% | 52.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.1% | 20.6% | 46.1% | 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 travel services in Sri Lanka?
- Travel services in Sri Lanka was 45.6% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 52.5% in 2018.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.9% in 2001.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for travel services?
- Sri Lanka ranks 87th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. 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 Travel services (% of commercial service exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are commercial services provided by residents to non-residents.