Sri Lanka’s Services PMI declined to 60.5 in September 2026 from 65.6 in the previous month, although remaining in expansionary territory for a fifth consecutive month. Business activity continued to expand, albeit at a slower pace, reflecting improvements across several sectors, particularly financial services and with notable contributions from education and professional services. New businesses also increased further, supported by continued improvements across these sectors. Employment rose as firms across several industries stepped up recruitment to meet operational requirements and support business expansion. Meanwhile, backlogs of work continued to decline, although at a slower pace. Looking ahead, business sentiment regarding activity over the next three months remained positive, underpinned by favourable macroeconomic conditions, rising tourist arrivals, and the approaching festive season. Nevertheless, broader global uncertainties continued to pose risks to the outlook. source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka

Services PMI in Sri Lanka decreased to 60.50 points in September from 65.60 points in August of 2026. Services PMI in Sri Lanka averaged 56.17 points from 2015 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 71.10 points in July of 2024 and a record low of 29.80 points in April of 2020. This page provides - Sri Lanka Services Pmi- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Services PMI in Sri Lanka decreased to 60.50 points in September from 65.60 points in August of 2026. Services PMI in Sri Lanka is expected to be 56.00 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Sri Lanka Services PMI is projected to trend around 55.00 points in 2027 and 53.00 points in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Business Confidence 101.00 104.00 points Jun 2026
Capacity Utilization 62.00 60.00 percent Dec 2024
Car Registrations 11759.00 10442.00 Units Jun 2026
Changes in Inventories 2905920.00 2186154.00 LKR Million Dec 2025
Industrial Production 0.20 0.80 percent Jul 2026


Sri Lanka Services PMI
The Services Sri Lanka PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index) is based on data collected from a representative panel of 140 companies based in the Sri Lanka's service sector. The index tracks variables such as sales, employment, inventories and prices. A reading above 50 indicates that the services sector is generally expanding; below 50 indicates that it is generally declining.

News Stream
Sri Lanka Services Activity Slows
Sri Lanka’s Services PMI declined to 60.5 in September 2026 from 65.6 in the previous month, although remaining in expansionary territory for a fifth consecutive month. Business activity continued to expand, albeit at a slower pace, reflecting improvements across several sectors, particularly financial services and with notable contributions from education and professional services. New businesses also increased further, supported by continued improvements across these sectors. Employment rose as firms across several industries stepped up recruitment to meet operational requirements and support business expansion. Meanwhile, backlogs of work continued to decline, although at a slower pace. Looking ahead, business sentiment regarding activity over the next three months remained positive, underpinned by favourable macroeconomic conditions, rising tourist arrivals, and the approaching festive season. Nevertheless, broader global uncertainties continued to pose risks to the outlook.
2026-10-15
Sri Lanka Services Growth Hits Highest Since December
Sri Lanka’s Services PMI rose to 65.6 in August 2026 from 61.4 in July, marking the highest level since December of 2025 and expanding for a fourth consecutive month. Growth was supported by stronger performance across sectors, primarily in transportation, wholesale and retail trade, and professional services. This was also reflected in assessments of new business, which increased, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in the previous month. Employment rose, supported by new recruitment, while backlogs of work declined. Looking ahead, firms remained optimistic, supported by expectations of higher tourist arrivals. However, sentiment weakened as broader economic uncertainty continued to pose downside risks.
2026-09-15
Sri Lanka Services Growth Accelerates for Third Month
Sri Lanka’s Services PMI rose to 61.4 in July 2026, up from 58.4 in June, marking the highest reading since January and a third consecutive month of expansion, signaling a faster expansion in services activity. New business continued to grow, although at a slower pace (60.2 vs 62.5), led mainly by the transportation and professional services sub-sectors, with financial and other personal services also contributing to the expansion. Employment increased at a slower pace (52.9 vs 54), supported by new recruitment and fewer staff resignations. Meanwhile, backlogs of work moved further into expansionary territory, rising to 51.2 from a neutral reading in June. Business expectations for the coming quarter strengthened further, supported by anticipated economic improvements and strong tourist arrivals for the Kandy Esala Perahera. However, broader global economic uncertainties continued to pose downside risks to the outlook.
2026-08-17