Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 1.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sri Lanka, 1970–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sri Lanka is 1.0%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 25.9% on the previous year and up 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sri Lanka peaked at 2.8% in 1997 and was at its lowest, -0.0%, in 1977.
That places Sri Lanka 148th out of 201 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | -0.0% | — |
| 1971 | 0.0% | -196.9% |
| 1972 | 0.0% | -7.2% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | +48.0% |
| 1974 | 0.0% | +125.3% |
| 1975 | 0.0% | -90.4% |
| 1976 | 0.0% | -99.3% |
| 1977 | -0.0% | -106721.0% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | -281.7% |
| 1979 | 1.4% | +2484.7% |
| 1980 | 1.1% | -23.4% |
| 1981 | 1.1% | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 1.3% | +19.5% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | -45.2% |
| 1984 | 0.5% | -26.2% |
| 1985 | 0.4% | -18.9% |
| 1986 | 0.5% | +6.0% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | +91.9% |
| 1988 | 0.7% | -26.4% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | -56.9% |
| 1990 | 0.5% | +91.0% |
| 1991 | 0.5% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | +135.3% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | +48.8% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -24.5% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | -69.7% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +100.7% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | +230.4% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -56.9% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | -8.5% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | -7.2% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +8.9% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -7.0% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | +52.0% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | +9.8% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -48.0% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | -15.2% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | +73.2% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -9.3% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | -10.6% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -26.2% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +27.6% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | +42.7% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | +17.5% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -51.1% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -38.4% |
| 2021 | 0.7% | +29.9% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +78.3% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | -28.9% |
| 2024 | 0.8% | -10.1% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | +25.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.3%, 41% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.0% is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.7%, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | -106721.0% | 0.0% | -0.0% |
| 1979 | +2484.7% | 0.1% | 1.4% |
| 1978 | +281.7% | -0.0% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.1% | -0.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 0.4% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 145 Eswatini 1.0% compare
- 146 Cameroon 1.0% compare
- 147 United States 1.0% compare
- 149 United Kingdom 0.9% compare
- 150 South Korea 0.8% compare
- 151 Latvia 0.8% compare
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)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -66.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 0.0483 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -68.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 0.0353 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 33.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0295 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sri Lanka?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sri Lanka was 1.0% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 1997.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.0% in 1977.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Sri Lanka ranks 148th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Foreign direct investment is the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors, and is divided by GDP.