Sri Lanka: Broad money (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Sri Lanka's broad money (% of GDP) rose 2.57 percentage points on 2018 (from 56.89% to 59.46%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2018), the average change was +0.85 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 10.33 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.81 percentage points in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.76 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 95% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Sri Lanka in the 2019 ranking

• Mauritania — 2nd of 4: 28.41%
• Papua New Guinea — 3rd of 4: 26.61%
• Gabon — 4th of 4: 22.93%

What this measures

Broad money is the sum of all liquid financial instruments held by money-holding sectors that are widely accepted in an economy as a medium of exchange, plus those that can be converted into a medium of exchange at short notice at, or close to, their full nominal value. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 60 values

Broad money (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 47.85% (2025)
• Bhutan — 83.35% (2024)
• India — 82.1% (2021)
• Maldives — 60.23% (2025)
• Nepal — 131.21% (2025)

More financial sector data for Sri Lanka

• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 292.34 (2025)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — -4.76% (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$300.95 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$300.85 (2025)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 249.46 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 3.69% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 46.87% (2019)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 11.7 trillion (2019)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 212.6 billion (2019)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Sri Lanka's broad money (% of GDP)?

59.46% in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 36.31 percentage points from 23.16% in 1960. The highest value was 59.46% in 2019 and the lowest 17.95% in 1975.

Is the latest change in broad money (% of GDP) unusual for Sri Lanka?

In 2019, Sri Lanka's broad money (% of GDP) rose 2.57 percentage points on 2018 (from 56.89% to 59.46%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2018), the average change was +0.85 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators Database, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FM.LBL.BMNY.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators Database, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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