Overview In 2020, Sri Lanka was the number 66 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 83 in total exports, the number 82 in total imports, the number 133 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 82 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).

Exports The top exports of Sri Lanka are Tea ($1.27B), Other Women's Undergarments ($518M), Knit Women's Undergarments ($466M), Knit Women's Suits ($447M), and Non-Knit Women's Suits ($446M), exporting mostly to United States ($2.61B), United Kingdom ($922M), India ($740M), Germany ($678M), and Italy ($460M).

In 2020, Sri Lanka was the world's biggest exporter of Used Rubber Tires ($294M)

Imports The top imports of Sri Lanka are Refined Petroleum ($1.27B), Light Rubberized Knitted Fabric ($722M), Packaged Medicaments ($413M), Crude Petroleum ($384M), and Broadcasting Equipment ($311M), importing mostly from China ($4.01B), India ($3.32B), United Arab Emirates ($920M), Malaysia ($685M), and Singapore ($648M).

Location Sri Lanka borders India and Maldives by sea.

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The following section uses the most recent trade data from partners of Sri Lanka.

Disclaimer: data is presented based on availability and only countries that use the harmonized system are being shown.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

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The data obtained is mirror data. The trade of countries that do not report current data can be reconstructed based on data reported by partner countries with current data available.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

Historical Data

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Top Export (2020): Tea, $1.27B

Top Destination (2020): United States, $4.01B

In 2020, Sri Lanka exported a total of $11.3B, making it the number 83 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Sri Lanka have changed by $133M from $11.2B in 2015 to $11.3B in 2020.

The most recent exports are led by Tea ($1.27B), Other Women's Undergarments ($518M), Knit Women's Undergarments ($466M), Knit Women's Suits ($447M), and Non-Knit Women's Suits ($446M). The most common destination for the exports of Sri Lanka are United States ($2.61B), United Kingdom ($922M), India ($740M), Germany ($678M), and Italy ($460M).

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Fastest Growing Export Markets (2019 - 2020)

Fastest Growing Import Markets (2019 - 2020)

Sri Lanka Exports Services (2018): $8.37B

Sri Lanka Imports Services (2018): $4.61B

In 2018, Sri Lanka exported $8.37B worth of services. The top services exported by Sri Lanka in 2018 were Personal travel ($4.38B), Transportation ($2.49B), Computer and information services ($995M), Financial services ($242M), and Insurance services ($130M).

The top services imported by Sri Lanka in 2018 were Transportation ($1.74B), Personal travel ($1.66B), Computer and information services ($484M), Financial services ($447M), and Insurance services ($97.4M).

Economic Complexity

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Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

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Sri Lanka has a high level of specialization in Cinnamon (350), Coconut and Other Vegetable Fibers (347), Tea (245), Used Rubber Tires (192), and Knit Gloves (111). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Sri Lanka observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

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The highest complexity exports of Sri Lanka according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Other Measuring Instruments (1.54), Conveyor Belt Textiles (1.19), Postcards (1.14), Knitting Machines (1.06), and Excavation Machinery (0.98). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

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The top export opportunities for Sri Lanka according to the relatedness index, are Cocoa Beans (0.29), Palm Oil (0.28), Fake Hair (0.28), Non-Retail Pure Cotton Yarn (0.27), and Molasses (0.27). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Sri Lanka is not specialized in.

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

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This network shows the products most related to the production structure of Sri Lanka. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that Sri Lanka exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

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The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.

Economic Complexity Ranking

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During the last 20 years Sri Lanka's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively more complex, moving from the ⁩⁨82nd to the 82nd⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

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