Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP was 2.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP in Sri Lanka, 1995–2023
Source: UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka stood at 2.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 54.2% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.9% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2021.
Sri Lanka ranks 95th of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2.8% | — |
| 1996 | 2.0% | -28.0% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | +14.6% |
| 1998 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | +12.5% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | -11.3% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | -5.8% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | +63.0% |
| 2003 | 3.8% | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 3.9% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | -23.6% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | -13.2% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -10.6% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -14.9% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | -9.1% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 2.1% | +17.8% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | +18.8% |
| 2013 | 3.3% | +30.6% |
| 2014 | 4.0% | +22.0% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | +17.7% |
| 2016 | 5.2% | +11.6% |
| 2017 | 5.4% | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 5.9% | +10.2% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | -75.6% |
| 2021 | 0.7% | -45.6% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | +163.5% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | +54.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.8% | 5 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 1.8% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 1.8% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 0.7% | 2.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 92 Uzbekistan 2.9% compare
- 93 Czechia 2.9% compare
- 94 New Caledonia 2.8% compare
- 96 Uruguay 2.8% compare
- 97 Switzerland 2.7% compare
- 98 France 2.7% 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)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 3,427 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 10.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.04 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 5,196 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 10.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 312.61 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 1.56 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 6.39 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka?
- Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka was 2.8% in 2023, according to UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 2018.
- What is the lowest spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp?
- Sri Lanka ranks 95th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Money received by the destination country from foreign visitors, including spending on accommodation, food, transport, entertainment, shopping, and fares paid to the country’s own airlines, as a share of, as a share of GDP.