Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP was 31.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
31.9%
Change on year
down 6.9%
World rank
187th
of 218 countries
All-time high
70.6%
in 2000
All-time low
31.0%
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP in Sri Lanka, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Sri Lanka stood at 31.9%.
That represents a change of down 6.9% on the previous year and down 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Sri Lanka peaked at 70.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.0%, in 2020.
That places Sri Lanka 187th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 70.6% | — |
| 2001 | 68.5% | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 65.3% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 62.5% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 66.4% | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 62.2% | -6.4% |
| 2006 | 60.6% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 58.9% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 55.0% | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 41.3% | -24.9% |
| 2010 | 37.7% | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 45.0% | +19.4% |
| 2012 | 40.6% | -9.9% |
| 2013 | 36.6% | -9.6% |
| 2014 | 37.2% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 34.6% | -6.9% |
| 2016 | 33.5% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 34.3% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 36.1% | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 35.8% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 31.0% | -13.6% |
| 2021 | 37.4% | +20.9% |
| 2022 | 42.3% | +13.2% |
| 2023 | 34.3% | -19.0% |
| 2024 | 31.9% | -6.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 61.1% | 41.3% | 70.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.2% | 33.5% | 45.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.4% | 31.0% | 42.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 184 Guinea-Bissau 33.0% compare
- 185 Egypt 33.0% compare
- 186 China 32.9% compare
- 188 South Sudan 31.9% compare
- 189 Nepal 31.8% compare
- 190 Turkmenistan 31.5% 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)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 4.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 57.08 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 285,530 current LCU per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2134 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,067 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 18.92 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2077 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Sri Lanka?
- Merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Sri Lanka was 31.9% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 70.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.0% in 2020.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp?
- Sri Lanka ranks 187th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).