Sri Lanka: Grants and other revenue (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Sri Lanka's grants and other revenue (% of revenue) fell 0.8 percentage points on 2022 (from 11.13% to 10.33%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.89 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 6.33 percentage points in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.48 percentage points in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% 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 2023, Sri Lanka had the 16th highest value of the 17 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 2023 ranking

• Nepal — 12th of 17: 17.79%
• Cambodia — 13th of 17: 17.52%
• Iceland — 14th of 17: 17.24%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 16th of 17: 6.97%
• France — 17th of 17: 6.76%

What this measures

Grants are transfers receivable by government units, from other resident or nonresident government units or international organizations, that do not meet the definition of a tax, subsidy, or social contribution. Other revenue is all revenue receivable excluding taxes, social contributions, and grants. This category of revenue includes property income, sales of goods and services, and miscellaneous other types of revenue. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

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

All 34 values

Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 20.43% (2021)
• Bhutan — 58.7% (2020)
• India — 26.02% (2022)
• Maldives — 27.37% (2021)
• Nepal — 17.79% (2023)

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Sri Lanka's grants and other revenue (% of revenue)?

10.33% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 6.82 percentage points from 17.15% in 1990. The highest value was 18.68% in 1991 and the lowest 6.15% in 2015.

How does Sri Lanka rank?

16th highest of 17 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in grants and other revenue (% of revenue) unusual for Sri Lanka?

In 2023, Sri Lanka's grants and other revenue (% of revenue) fell 0.8 percentage points on 2022 (from 11.13% to 10.33%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.89 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 GC.REV.GOTR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance 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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