Sri Lanka's primary income payments (BoP, current US$) was US$2.62 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 22.22% from US$2.14 billion in 2015 (2.03% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$2.62 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | US$2.4 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | US$2.14 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | US$3.21 billion | 2024 |
| Lowest | US$24.13 million | 1976 |
| Average since 2016 | US$2.56 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$25.55 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Sri Lanka's primary income payments (BoP, current US$) fell 18.4% on 2024 (from US$3.21 billion to US$2.62 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +10.7% and a typical year strayed about 24.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 86.5% in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 49.1% in 2009. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 14% 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 2025, Sri Lanka had the 89th 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | US$2.62 billion | 2025 |
| World | US$7.99 trillion | 2024 |
| South Asia | US$115.41 billion | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | US$1.03 trillion | 2025 |
Closest to Sri Lanka in the 2025 ranking
- Iraq — 86th of 136: US$3.52 billion
- Zambia — 87th of 136: US$3.13 billion
- El Salvador — 88th of 136: US$3.01 billion
- Mozambique — 90th of 136: US$2.55 billion
- Kenya — 91st of 136: US$2.54 billion
- Paraguay — 92nd of 136: US$2.51 billion
What this measures
Primary income payments refer to employee compensation paid to nonresident workers and investment income (payments on direct investment, portfolio investment, other investments).This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 51 values
| Year | Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,615,642,798 |
| 2024 | 3,206,859,310 |
| 2023 | 3,007,134,177 |
| 2022 | 2,136,368,538 |
| 2021 | 2,075,238,146 |
| 2020 | 2,403,654,634 |
| 2019 | 2,713,440,756 |
| 2018 | 2,633,434,378 |
| 2017 | 2,491,566,103 |
| 2016 | 2,328,579,292 |
Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies
- Bangladesh — US$6.88 billion (2025)
- Bhutan — US$194.59 million (2024)
- India — US$104.74 billion (2025)
- Maldives — US$817.15 million (2025)
- Nepal — US$357.29 million (2025)
More economic policy & debt data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$) — 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
Questions people ask
- What is Sri Lanka's primary income payments (BoP, current US$)?
- US$2.62 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1975?
- It is up 10,139% from US$25.55 million in 1975 (9.7% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$3.21 billion in 2024 and the lowest US$24.13 million in 1976.
- How does Sri Lanka rank?
- 89th highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in primary income payments (BoP, current US$) unusual for Sri Lanka?
- In 2025, Sri Lanka's primary income payments (BoP, current US$) fell 18.4% on 2024 (from US$3.21 billion to US$2.62 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +10.7% and a typical year strayed about 24.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.FCTY.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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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