Travel services in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Travel services was 23.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Travel 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
The most recent figure for travel services in Sri Lanka is 23.4%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 9.7% on the previous year and down 32.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Sri Lanka peaked at 36.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1975.
Sri Lanka ranks 77th of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Travel services in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1.6% | — |
| 1976 | 2.9% | +76.4% |
| 1977 | 3.5% | +20.6% |
| 1978 | 16.1% | +364.3% |
| 1979 | 12.9% | -19.8% |
| 1980 | 9.7% | -24.8% |
| 1981 | 10.4% | +7.3% |
| 1982 | 10.7% | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 9.8% | -8.7% |
| 1984 | 12.7% | +29.3% |
| 1985 | 10.5% | -16.9% |
| 1986 | 11.5% | +8.8% |
| 1987 | 12.2% | +6.4% |
| 1988 | 12.9% | +5.7% |
| 1989 | 12.6% | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 11.9% | -5.7% |
| 1991 | 13.2% | +11.1% |
| 1992 | 13.9% | +4.8% |
| 1993 | 14.2% | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 16.6% | +16.7% |
| 1995 | 15.9% | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 15.0% | -6.1% |
| 1997 | 14.1% | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 15.2% | +7.7% |
| 1999 | 15.7% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 15.1% | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 14.4% | -4.4% |
| 2002 | 16.9% | +17.2% |
| 2003 | 16.9% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 15.8% | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 15.3% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 15.8% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 15.3% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 14.4% | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 16.5% | +14.7% |
| 2010 | 14.7% | -10.9% |
| 2011 | 12.6% | -14.3% |
| 2012 | 28.6% | +126.3% |
| 2013 | 34.6% | +21.2% |
| 2014 | 34.6% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 35.6% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 36.8% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 36.7% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 36.6% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 36.0% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 20.9% | -41.9% |
| 2021 | 28.7% | +37.2% |
| 2022 | 27.2% | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 21.4% | -21.4% |
| 2024 | 23.4% | +9.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.4% | 1.6% | 16.1% | 5 |
| 1980s | 11.3% | 9.7% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.6% | 11.9% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.7% | 14.4% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.7% | 12.6% | 36.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.3% | 20.9% | 28.7% | 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 travel services in Sri Lanka?
- Travel services in Sri Lanka was 23.4% in 2024, 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 36.8% in 2016.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1975.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for travel services?
- Sri Lanka ranks 77th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 imports). 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 imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.