Central government debt, total in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Central government debt, total was 73.5% in 2015. ▼ Falling
Central government debt, total in Sri Lanka, 1990–2015
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 73.5% for central government debt, total in 2015.
The figure is up 7.2% on the previous year and down 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Sri Lanka peaked at 105.5% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 66.7%, in 2012.
Sri Lanka ranks 19th of 83 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Central government debt, total in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 96.6% | — |
| 1991 | 98.5% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 95.4% | -3.2% |
| 1993 | 96.8% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 94.9% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 94.6% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 92.3% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 86.1% | -6.8% |
| 1998 | 89.2% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 95.1% | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 96.9% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 103.2% | +6.5% |
| 2002 | 105.5% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 102.3% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 102.3% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 90.6% | -11.5% |
| 2006 | 88.7% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 85.0% | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 86.1% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 69.3% | -19.5% |
| 2011 | 68.5% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 66.7% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 68.4% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 68.6% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 73.5% | +7.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 93.9% | 86.1% | 98.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 95.6% | 85.0% | 105.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 69.2% | 66.7% | 73.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More economy & growth data for Sri Lanka
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP -8.07 Percent per annum (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP -7.82 Percent per annum (2022)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 5.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 203.1 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 1.02 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 6.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 0.6 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 3,001 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 6.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7423 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Sri Lanka?
- Central government debt, total in Sri Lanka was 73.5% in 2015, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 105.5% in 2002.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.7% in 2012.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for central government debt, total?
- Sri Lanka ranks 19th out of 83 countries with data for 2015.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.