Sri Lanka: Current account balance (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Sri Lanka's current account balance (current US$, BoP) rose US$512.02 million on 2024 (from US$1.21 billion to US$1.72 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$65.49 million and a typical year strayed about US$1.39 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 US$3.67 billion in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was US$3.54 billion in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$460.9 million a year. A straight line explains 59% 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

In 2025, Sri Lanka had the 43rd highest value of the 136 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

• Czechia — 39th of 136: US$2.44 billion
• Bermuda — 40th of 136: US$2.08 billion
• Lao PDR — 41st of 136: US$2.03 billion
• Trinidad and Tobago — 43rd of 136: US$1.29 billion
• Honduras — 44th of 136: US$987.83 million
• Lithuania — 45th of 136: US$899.61 million

What this measures

Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

All 51 values

Current account balance (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — −US$203.16 million (2025)
• Bhutan — −US$649.3 million (2024)
• India — −US$20.23 billion (2025)
• Maldives — −US$476.23 million (2025)
• Nepal — US$4.86 billion (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Sri Lanka

• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$) — US$9.1 billion (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU) — 2.74 trillion (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) — US$6.84 billion (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant LCU) — 929.67 billion (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) — 8.36% (2025)
• Manufacturing, value added (current US$) — US$18.63 billion (2025)
• Manufacturing, value added (current LCU) — 5.61 trillion (2025)
• Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP) — 17.12% (2025)
• Industry, including construction, value added (current US$)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sri Lanka's current account balance (current US$, BoP)?

US$1.72 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 1,663% from −US$110.03 million in 1975. The highest value was US$1.72 billion in 2025 and the lowest −US$4.62 billion in 2011.

How does Sri Lanka rank?

43rd highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in current account balance (current US$, BoP) unusual for Sri Lanka?

In 2025, Sri Lanka's current account balance (current US$, BoP) rose US$512.02 million on 2024 (from US$1.21 billion to US$1.72 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$65.49 million and a typical year strayed about US$1.39 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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 BN.CAB.XOKA.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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