[1] Primary trade source
OECD Bilateral International Merchandise Trade Statistics, harmonised by Yugalinks at country-year, HS2 and bilateral-corridor levels. Coverage shown here is 1995–2024 where observations are available.
Country intelligence · LKA · 2024
Sri Lanka trade profile
In 2024, Sri Lanka recorded $12.6B in merchandise exports and $18.8B in imports, producing a $6.2B trade deficit. Exports changed +2.1% from the previous year, while imports changed +8.7%.[1]
Exports
$12.6B
+2.1%
Imports
$18.8B
+8.7%
Trade balance
-$6.2B
deficit
Active partners
270
7 FTA-linked
Historical evidence
Ten-year trade movement
The bars compare exports and imports on the same scale. The accompanying table preserves the exact values so the trend is usable without interpreting a graphic.
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
ExportsImports
Exact annual values
Leading export sectors
HS2 chapters rank broad product groups by observed export value in 2024.
1$3.0B
HS 61 · HS chapter
106 active HS6 lines · 154 export partners
2$1.9B
HS 62 · HS chapter
112 active HS6 lines · 138 export partners
3$1.7B
HS 09 · HS chapter
39 active HS6 lines · 165 export partners
4$1.0B
HS 40 · HS chapter
80 active HS6 lines · 160 export partners
5$543.1M
HS 71 · Precious metals and stones
47 active HS6 lines · 74 export partners
6$341.1M
HS 85 · Electrical machinery
260 active HS6 lines · 140 export partners
7$280.7M
HS 84 · Machinery
510 active HS6 lines · 144 export partners
8$275.7M
HS 27 · Mineral fuels and oils
38 active HS6 lines · 82 export partners
Leading export markets
Destinations rank bilateral export flows from Sri Lanka; growth describes each corridor rather than the whole economy.
1$2.9B
United States
Annual change +5.3% · 3-year CAGR -1.2%
2$961.5M
India
Annual change +7.4% · 3-year CAGR 0.5%
3$833.6M
United Kingdom
Annual change +1.3% · 3-year CAGR -0.2%
4$819.8M
Germany
Annual change +3.7% · 3-year CAGR -3.1%
5$455.6M
Italy
Annual change -16.4% · 3-year CAGR -3.3%
6$376.1M
Canada
Annual change +3.7% · 3-year CAGR -0.5%
7$343.2M
France
Annual change +24.0% · 3-year CAGR 12.5%
8$333.3M
China
Annual change +8.3% · 3-year CAGR -10.0%
Sources, definitions and limitations
Calculation notes
USD values are aggregated from reported merchandise records. YoY compares consecutive annual totals; three-year CAGR is the mart-provided compound annual growth rate. Missing values are not inferred.