Sri Lanka: Debt service to exports (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Sri Lanka's debt service to exports (%) rose 4.83 percentage points on 2023 (from 10.26% to 15.09%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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 12.31 percentage points in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.61 percentage points in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Sri Lanka had the 19th highest value of the 100 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 2024 ranking

• Cameroon — 15th of 100: 17.27%
• Bhutan — 16th of 100: 16.29%
• Dominican Republic — 17th of 100: 15.39%
• Ecuador — 19th of 100: 14.51%
• Uzbekistan — 20th of 100: 14.4%
• Bolivia — 21st of 100: 13.82%

What this measures

Debt service, the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services, is expressed as a percentage of exports of goods and services--all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from residents to nonresidents of general merchandise, net exports of goods under merchanting, nonmonetary gold, and services. This series differs from the standard debt to exports series in that it covers only long-term public and publicly guaranteed debt and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.

All 50 values

Debt service to exports (%) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 10.48% (2024)
• Bhutan — 16.29% (2024)
• India — 3.16% (2024)
• Maldives — 7.84% (2024)
• Nepal — 9.34% (2024)

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 debt service to exports (%)?

15.09% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is down 11.4 percentage points from 26.49% in 1975. The highest value was 33.03% in 2020 and the lowest 4.56% in 2005.

How does Sri Lanka rank?

19th highest of 100 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in debt service to exports (%) unusual for Sri Lanka?

In 2024, Sri Lanka's debt service to exports (%) rose 4.83 percentage points on 2023 (from 10.26% to 15.09%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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 DT.TDS.DPPF.XP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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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