Sri Lanka: CPIA trade rating (1=low to 6=high)

Key figures

Since 2005 it is up 14.29% from 3.5 in 2005 (0.67% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 5 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2025, Sri Lanka's CPIA trade rating (1=low to 6=high) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 4 to 4).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2024), the average change was +0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.33 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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 0.5 in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.5 in 2007. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2025, Sri Lanka had the 8th highest value of the 72 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Sri Lanka in the 2025 ranking

• Papua New Guinea — 32nd of 72: 4
• Samoa — 33rd of 72: 4
• São Tomé and Principe — 34th of 72: 4
• St. Lucia — 36th of 72: 4
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 37th of 72: 4
• Timor-Leste — 38th of 72: 4

What this measures

Trade assesses how the policy framework fosters trade in goods.

Limitations: The CPIA exercise is intended to capture the quality of a country's policies and institutional arrangements, focusing on key elements that are within the country's control, rather than on outcomes (such as economic growth rates) that are influenced by events beyond the country's control. More specifically, the CPIA measures the extent to which a country's policy and institutional framework supports sustainable growth and poverty reduction and, consequently, the effective use of development assistance.

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

All 16 values

CPIA trade rating (1=low to 6=high) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 3 (2025)
• Bhutan — 3.5 (2025)
• Maldives — 4 (2025)
• Nepal — 4 (2025)

More public sector data for Sri Lanka

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.39 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 418.25 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.31% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 11 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 4.92% (2025)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 234.09 billion (2023)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (% of GDP) — 0.85% (2023)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 2.77 trillion (2023)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 10.07% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sri Lanka's CPIA trade rating (1=low to 6=high)?

4 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is up 14.29% from 3.5 in 2005 (0.67% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 4 in 2006 and the lowest 3.5 in 2005.

How does Sri Lanka rank?

8th highest of 72 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in CPIA trade rating (1=low to 6=high) unusual for Sri Lanka?

In 2025, Sri Lanka's CPIA trade rating (1=low to 6=high) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 4 to 4). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2024), the average change was +0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.33 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IQ.CPA.TRAD.XQ, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: CPIA database, World Bank Group (WBG), uri: http://www.worldbank.org/ida 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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