Country export capability

Sri Lanka
export capability

A reported view of Sri Lanka's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

LKA1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest exports$12.6B2024 reported value
Latest imports$18.8B2024 reported value
Trade balance-$6.2BExports minus imports
Export growth+2.1%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

Sri Lanka export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, Sri Lanka recorded $12.6B in exports and $18.8B in imports. The resulting -$6.2B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed +2.1% year on year and show a calculated -1.2% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands received $2.9B in reported exports, representing 22.8% of the latest country total. Knitted clothing was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $3.0B and 23.3% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 1995 through 2024, with 30 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around Sri Lanka's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$99.0B2024 macro context
GDP per capita$4.5KCurrent-dollar GDP
Population21.9MReported population
Labor force8.9KReported labor force
Investment rate29.7%National investment rate
Savings rate23.4%National savings rate
Trade openness26%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP10.4%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education88.7%Education context
Tertiary education17.8%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for Sri Lanka
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAHigh attention50.4%28.8%2.4%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
IndiaINDHigh attention52.1%22.6%50%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
Syrian Arab RepublicSYRCritical attention100%67.2%21.4%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
RussiaRUSCritical attention26%41.8%9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
TurkeyTURCritical attention59.8%38.4%9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
United Arab EmiratesAREHigh attention64.8%47.8%5.2%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
BangladeshBGDHigh attention84.1%20.2%66.4%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
United KingdomGBRHigh attention61.3%41.1%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
FranceFRAWatch47.8%24.1%1.7%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
GermanyDEUWatch49.9%23.2%1.7%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for Sri Lanka
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining +1.1%
2ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Growing +10.5%
3IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$72.9B0.1%Accelerating -0.5%
4ChinaHS6 854232 · Electronic integrated circuits: memories$80.6B$65.7B0%Growing +20.6%
5ChinaHS6 854239 · Electronic integrated circuits: n.e.c. in heading no. 8542$81.8B$61.4B0%Growing +4%
6USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 851712 · Telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks$53.9B$53.8B0%Slowing -8.8%
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 847150 · Digital processing units: other than those of subheadings 8471.41 or 8471.49, whether or not containing in the same housing one or two of the following types of unit: storage units, input units or output units$53.9B$45.6B0%Accelerating +60.2%
8ChinaHS6 260300 · Copper ores and concentrates$62.6B$35.3B0%Declining +11%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for Sri Lanka.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for Sri Lanka
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
10902HS4 detail codeCoffee, tea and spices (09) ↗$1.3B10.6%4
26212HS4 detail codeNon-knitted clothing (62) ↗$589.0M4.7%4
36108HS4 detail codeKnitted clothing (61) ↗$535.1M4.2%11
46204HS4 detail codeNon-knitted clothing (62) ↗$454.7M3.6%25
54012HS4 detail codeRubber (40) ↗$438.1M3.5%6
66109HS4 detail codeKnitted clothing (61) ↗$428.6M3.4%2
76116HS4 detail codeKnitted clothing (61) ↗$392.1M3.1%5
86203HS4 detail codeNon-knitted clothing (62) ↗$369.4M2.9%14
97103HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$346.3M2.7%3
106107HS4 detail codeKnitted clothing (61) ↗$329.3M2.6%8
116104HS4 detail codeKnitted clothing (61) ↗$319.7M2.5%22
124015HS4 detail codeRubber (40) ↗$300.0M2.4%3

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

Sri Lanka combines $12.6B in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, Sri Lanka recorded $12.6B in reported exports and $18.8B in imports, producing a reported trade deficit of $6.2B. Exports changed +2.1% year on year and -1.2% annualized over three years. Knitted clothing (HS2 61) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where Sri Lanka exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for Sri Lanka
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$2.9B22.8%+5.3%-1.2%
2IndiaIND$961.5M7.6%+7.4%+0.5%
3United KingdomGBR$833.6M6.6%+1.3%-0.2%
4GermanyDEU$819.8M6.5%+3.7%-3.1%
5ItalyITA$455.6M3.6%-16.4%-3.3%
6CanadaCAN$376.1M3%+3.7%-0.5%
7FranceFRA$343.2M2.7%+24%+12.5%
8ChinaCHN$333.3M2.6%+8.3%-10%
9NetherlandsNLD$292.2M2.3%+12.8%-5.7%
10United Arab EmiratesARE$269.0M2.1%-39.4%-9.8%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$10.1B
2014
$11.2B
2015
$10.7B
2016
$10.6B
2017
$11.4B
2018
$12.2B
2019
$12.1B
2020
$10.7B
2021
$13.1B
2022
$14.0B
2023
$12.4B
2024
$12.6B

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets7Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners0Country context
Shared-language partners0Country context
Average partner distance8,596 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA2.6%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0.1%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0.1%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0.1 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share53.7%

Covered value under attention

Critical share3.4%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak27.3%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports10.7%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff context0.1%

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend resilient

Primary attention driver: Market access exposure.

Momentum score1.1

History-based indicator

Partner concentration751.8

Partner HHI

Product concentration149.5

Product HHI

Country attention level: Watch. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3LKA
Exports Usd$12.6B
Imports Usd$18.8B
Trade Balance Usd-$6.2B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct2.1%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct8.7%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct-1.2%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct-3.9%
Export Partner Hhi751.8
Export Product Hhi149.5
Momentum Score1.1
Risk Score4.5
Gdp Million Usd98,963.19 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$4.5K
Population21,916,000
Labor Force8,909.5
Investment Rate Pct29.7%
Savings Rate Pct23.4%
Secondary Education Pct88.7%
Tertiary Education Pct17.8%
Total Factor Productivity593.1
Trade Openness Pct26%
Exports Gdp Pct10.4%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners7
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners0
Num Shared Language Partners0
Avg Partner Distance Km8,596 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta3
Pct Partners Shared Language0
Pct Partners Shared Border0
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0.1%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0.1 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km8,775
Num Border Partners0
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-9.1
Pct Products High Elasticity71
Pct Products Low Elasticity3
Real Market Potential176,877.1
Foreign Market Potential16,381.3

Exposure fields

Country Iso3LKA
All History Lane Count8,608
Current Lane Count5,590
Critical Lane Count16
High Attention Lane Count912
High Volatility Lane Count3,213
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count2,401
Declining Demand Lane Count31
Concentrated Market Lane Count2,402
Access Friction Lane Count2,906
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count275
Monitored Exports Current Usd$11.1B
Attention Exports Usd$6.0B
Critical Exports Usd$373.6M
High Volatility Exports Usd$3.9B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$2.3B
Non Fta Exports Usd$9.9B
Monitored Attention Share Pct53.7%
Monitored Critical Share Pct3.4%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct10.7%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv0.9
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct27.3%
Export Weighted Distance Km8,904 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$12.6B
Total Imports Latest Usd$18.8B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$6.2B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct2.1%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct-1.2%
Gdp Latest Million Usd98,963.19 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$4.5K
Population Latest21,916,000
Investment Rate Latest Pct29.7%
Savings Rate Latest Pct23.4%
Trade Openness Latest Pct26%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct10.4%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest7
Foreign Market Potential Latest16,381.3
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct2.1%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct2%
Population 5y Cagr Pct0.1%
Partner Hhi Latest751.8
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct22.8%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct37%
Partner Hhi All Avg1,166.4
Partner Hhi All Max1,979.1
Product Hhi Latest149.5
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct5.1%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct14.7%
Product Hhi All Avg171.5
Product Hhi All Max208
Total Exports Attention Share Pct47.3%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct3%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
1995$3.5B$5.0B-$1.5BNot reportedNot reported
1996$3.8B$4.9B-$1.1B+8.7%Not reported
1997$4.2B$5.2B-$1.0B+11.5%Not reported
1998$4.3B$5.3B-$1.0B+1.8%+7.3%
1999$4.4B$5.6B-$1.2B+3.1%+5.4%
2000$5.1B$6.6B-$1.4B+16.1%+6.8%
2001$4.8B$5.5B-$705.1M-7.2%+3.5%
2002$4.8B$6.3B-$1.5B+0.3%+2.6%
2003$5.0B$6.7B-$1.7B+5.7%-0.6%
2004$5.9B$8.2B-$2.4B+16.4%+7.3%
2005$6.4B$8.9B-$2.6B+8.8%+10.2%
2006$7.0B$10.3B-$3.2B+10.2%+11.8%
2007$7.8B$11.3B-$3.5B+10.3%+9.8%
2008$8.6B$13.7B-$5.1B+10.5%+10.3%
2009$7.5B$9.4B-$2.0B-13%+2%
2010$8.5B$13.3B-$4.8B+14%+3.1%
2011$10.3B$19.6B-$9.3B+21.1%+6.3%
2012$9.7B$18.0B-$8.3B-6.2%+9%
2013$10.1B$19.0B-$9.0B+3.9%+5.7%
2014$11.2B$21.8B-$10.6B+11.8%+2.9%
2015$10.7B$21.4B-$10.8B-5.1%+3.3%
2016$10.6B$19.5B-$9.0B-1%+1.7%
2017$11.4B$21.1B-$9.7B+7.7%+0.4%
2018$12.2B$22.1B-$9.9B+7%+4.5%
2019$12.1B$20.0B-$7.9B-0.7%+4.6%
2020$10.7B$16.1B-$5.4B-11.4%-2%
2021$13.1B$21.2B-$8.1B+22.4%+2.5%
2022$14.0B$18.6B-$4.6B+6.8%+5%
2023$12.4B$17.3B-$4.9B-11.6%+4.9%
2024$12.6B$18.8B-$6.2B+2.1%-1.2%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
161Knitted clothing$3.0B23.3%154106
262Non-knitted clothing$1.9B14.9%138112
309Coffee, tea and spices$1.7B13.8%16539
440Rubber$1.0B8.2%16080
571Precious stones and metals$543.1M4.3%7447
685Electrical machinery$341.1M2.7%140260
784Machinery$280.7M2.2%144510
827Mineral fuels$275.7M2.2%8238
903Fish and crustaceans$265.0M2.1%88168
1021Miscellaneous edible preparations$194.7M1.5%14316

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
10902Coffee, tea and spices (09)$1.3B10.6%4
26212Non-knitted clothing (62)$589.0M4.7%4
36108Knitted clothing (61)$535.1M4.2%11
46204Non-knitted clothing (62)$454.7M3.6%25
54012Rubber (40)$438.1M3.5%6
66109Knitted clothing (61)$428.6M3.4%2
76116Knitted clothing (61)$392.1M3.1%5
86203Non-knitted clothing (62)$369.4M2.9%14
97103Precious stones and metals (71)$346.3M2.7%3
106107Knitted clothing (61)$329.3M2.6%8
116104Knitted clothing (61)$319.7M2.5%22
124015Rubber (40)$300.0M2.4%3

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$2.9B22.8%+5.3%-1.2%
2IndiaIND$961.5M7.6%+7.4%+0.5%
3United KingdomGBR$833.6M6.6%+1.3%-0.2%
4GermanyDEU$819.8M6.5%+3.7%-3.1%
5ItalyITA$455.6M3.6%-16.4%-3.3%
6CanadaCAN$376.1M3%+3.7%-0.5%
7FranceFRA$343.2M2.7%+24%+12.5%
8ChinaCHN$333.3M2.6%+8.3%-10%
9NetherlandsNLD$292.2M2.3%+12.8%-5.7%
10United Arab EmiratesARE$269.0M2.1%-39.4%-9.8%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)High attention50.4%28.8%2.4%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
2India (IND)High attention52.1%22.6%50%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
3Syrian Arab Republic (SYR)Critical attention100%67.2%21.4%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
4Russia (RUS)Critical attention26%41.8%9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
5Turkey (TUR)Critical attention59.8%38.4%9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
6United Arab Emirates (ARE)High attention64.8%47.8%5.2%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
7Bangladesh (BGD)High attention84.1%20.2%66.4%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
8United Kingdom (GBR)High attention61.3%41.1%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
9France (FRA)Watch47.8%24.1%1.7%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
10Germany (DEU)Watch49.9%23.2%1.7%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Australia (AUS)710813new$161.5M0.2%100
2Bulgaria (BGR)850440new$188.1M0.1%100
3France (FRA)841319new$36.4M0.6%100
4Ireland (IRL)160521new$9.8M1.4%100
5China (CHN)160561new$71.8M0.9%100
6Malaysia (MYS)392113new$42.5M1.8%100
7China (CHN)740329new$1.3B0%100
8Mauritius (MUS)850422new$2.5M53.6%100
9India (IND)080521new$20.3M0.8%100
10India (IND)847730new$96.9M0.2%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)270900$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining (+1.1%)
2China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Growing (+10.5%)
3India (IND)270900$130.1B$72.9B0.1%Accelerating (-0.5%)
4China (CHN)854232$80.6B$65.7B0%Growing (+20.6%)
5China (CHN)854239$81.8B$61.4B0%Growing (+4%)
6USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)851712$53.9B$53.8B0%Slowing (-8.8%)
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)847150$53.9B$45.6B0%Accelerating (+60.2%)
8China (CHN)260300$62.6B$35.3B0%Declining (+11%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 1995 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

Sri Lanka export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the Sri Lanka export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for Sri Lanka.

What is the latest reported export value for Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka recorded $12.6B in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from Sri Lanka?

USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands leads by reported export value at $2.9B in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead Sri Lanka's exports?

Knitted clothing leads by reported value at $3.0B. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of Sri Lanka trade history are available?

This sample contains 30 observed annual rows covering 1995 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and routes using the available trade evidence and definitions.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.