Sri Lanka’s trade deficit widened to $674 million in August 2026, from $414 million a year earlier, as imports rose 12.8% year-on-year to $1.91 billion, while exports fell 3.3% to $1.24 billion. In the first eight months of 2026, the cumulative trade deficit widened to $7.2 billion, from $4.3 billion in the corresponding period of 2025, as imports surged 24.1% to $16.56 billion. The increase was driven by a 61.6% jump in fuel purchases, which reached $4.0 billion amid rising energy prices due to the US-Iran war. Imports of motor vehicles amounted to $1.68 billion over the same period. Exports increased at a much slower pace, rising 3.3% to $9.38 billion. source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka recorded a trade deficit of 673.50 USD Million in August of 2026. Balance of Trade in Sri Lanka averaged -521.22 USD Million from 2002 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 110.30 USD Million in August of 2002 and a record low of -1383.00 USD Million in April of 2026. This page provides the latest reported value for - Sri Lanka Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Sri Lanka Balance of Trade - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-08-28 12:00 PM
Balance of Trade
Jul $-1018M $-829M $-880.0M
2026-09-30 02:00 PM
Balance of Trade
Aug $-673.5M $-1018M $-995.0M
2026-10-30 03:50 PM
Balance of Trade
Sep $-673.5M


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade -673.50 -1018.00 USD Million Aug 2026
Current Account -986.00 704.00 USD Million Jun 2026
Current Account to GDP 1.60 1.20 percent of GDP Dec 2025
Exports 1240.30 1233.00 USD Million Aug 2026
External Debt 55124.00 54875.00 USD Million Jun 2026
Foreign Direct Investment 201.00 204.00 USD Million Jun 2026
Imports 1913.80 2251.00 USD Million Aug 2026
Remittances 748.60 777.60 USD Million Aug 2026
Terms of Trade 77.30 86.76 points Aug 2026
Tourism Revenues 285.50 151.10 USD Million Jul 2026


Sri Lanka Balance of Trade
Sri Lanka exports mostly textiles and garments (40% of total exports) and tea (17%). Others include: spices, gems, coconut products, rubber and fish. Main export partners are United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Italy. Sri Lanka imports petroleum, textile fabrics, foodstuffes and machinery and transportation equipment. Main import partners are India, China, Iran and Singapore.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-673.50 -1018.00 110.30 -1383.00 2002 - 2026 USD Million Monthly

News Stream
Sri Lanka Trade Deficit Widens in August
Sri Lanka’s trade deficit widened to $674 million in August 2026, from $414 million a year earlier, as imports rose 12.8% year-on-year to $1.91 billion, while exports fell 3.3% to $1.24 billion. In the first eight months of 2026, the cumulative trade deficit widened to $7.2 billion, from $4.3 billion in the corresponding period of 2025, as imports surged 24.1% to $16.56 billion. The increase was driven by a 61.6% jump in fuel purchases, which reached $4.0 billion amid rising energy prices due to the US-Iran war. Imports of motor vehicles amounted to $1.68 billion over the same period. Exports increased at a much slower pace, rising 3.3% to $9.38 billion.
2026-09-30
Sri Lanka Trade Deficit Widens in June
Sri Lanka's trade deficit widened to $829 million in June 2026 from $540 million a year earlier, as import growth outpaced export gains. The external sector continued to reflect the impact of developments in the Middle East. Imports rose 17.3% year-on-year to $1.97 billion, driven by a 40.2% increase in fuel import expenditure, mainly due to higher spending on refined petroleum products. Meanwhile, exports edged up 0.2% to $1.14 billion. The services account surplus narrowed 33.8% from a year earlier to $162 million, as services outflows increased faster than inflows. In the first half of 2026, the cumulative trade deficit widened to $5.5 billion from $3.3 billion in the corresponding period of 2025.
2026-07-31
Sri Lanka Trade Deficit More Than Doubles in May
Sri Lanka’s trade deficit widened to $968 million in May 2026 from $473 million a year earlier, marking a 104.8% increase as import growth outpaced export gains. Imports surged 45.4% to $2.19 billion, with fuel import spending jumping 112% due to higher oil prices and larger volumes. Exports rose 13.4% to $1.70 billion, supported by an 18.3% increase in goods shipments to $1.2 billion, while services exports edged up 2.5% to $475 million. In the first five months of the year, Sri Lanka’s cumulative trade deficit reached $4.66 billion.
2026-06-30