Travel services in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Travel services was 21.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Travel services in Sri Lanka, 1975–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of service imports, BoP.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 21.7% for travel services in 2024.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Sri Lanka peaked at 36.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1975.
That places Sri Lanka 84th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Travel services in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of service imports, BoP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1.6% | — |
| 1976 | 2.8% | +74.6% |
| 1977 | 3.3% | +20.5% |
| 1978 | 15.7% | +371.7% |
| 1979 | 12.6% | -19.5% |
| 1980 | 9.5% | -24.7% |
| 1981 | 10.2% | +7.2% |
| 1982 | 10.3% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 9.5% | -7.9% |
| 1984 | 12.3% | +29.0% |
| 1985 | 10.1% | -17.5% |
| 1986 | 11.0% | +9.0% |
| 1987 | 11.8% | +6.4% |
| 1988 | 12.4% | +5.5% |
| 1989 | 12.2% | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 11.5% | -5.3% |
| 1991 | 12.7% | +10.5% |
| 1992 | 13.5% | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 13.8% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 16.1% | +17.2% |
| 1995 | 15.5% | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 14.6% | -6.1% |
| 1997 | 13.8% | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 14.8% | +7.6% |
| 1999 | 15.4% | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 14.8% | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 14.3% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 16.6% | +15.9% |
| 2003 | 16.6% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 15.5% | -6.6% |
| 2005 | 15.1% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 15.6% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 15.1% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 14.2% | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 16.3% | +14.5% |
| 2010 | 14.5% | -10.7% |
| 2011 | 12.5% | -14.1% |
| 2012 | 28.0% | +124.0% |
| 2013 | 33.9% | +21.1% |
| 2014 | 33.9% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 34.9% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 36.2% | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 36.2% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 36.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 35.4% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 20.3% | -42.8% |
| 2021 | 26.9% | +32.6% |
| 2022 | 25.6% | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 21.3% | -16.8% |
| 2024 | 21.7% | +2.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 21.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22.9%, 95% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 21.7% is below the median for South Asia, which is 24.3%, 89% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Travel services 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | +371.7% | 3.3% | 15.7% |
| 2012 | +124.0% | 12.5% | 28.0% |
| 1976 | +74.6% | 1.6% | 2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.2% | 1.6% | 15.7% | 5 |
| 1980s | 10.9% | 9.5% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.2% | 11.5% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.4% | 14.2% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.1% | 12.5% | 36.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.1% | 20.3% | 26.9% | 5 |
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 110.33 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0011 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 5.03 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 761.14 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 6.75 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0076 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 34.73 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 38.34 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in Sri Lanka?
- Travel services in Sri Lanka was 21.7% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 36.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1975.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for travel services?
- Sri Lanka ranks 84th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of service imports, BoP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are services provided by non-residents to residents.