Sri Lanka's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) was 28.67% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 14.7 percentage points from 43.37% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 28.67% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 42.93% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 43.37% | 2014 |
| Highest | 63.22% | 2020 |
| Lowest | 7.07% | 1998 |
| Average since 2015 | 45.34% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 11.27% | 1975 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Sri Lanka's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) fell 12.36 percentage points on 2023 (from 41.03% to 28.67%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +1.12 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.24 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 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 21.46 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 17.91 percentage points in 2010. 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 less than 1% 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 99 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 | 28.67% | 2024 |
| South Asia | 16.6% | 2024 |
| Upper middle income | 25.3% | 2024 |
Closest to Sri Lanka in the 2024 ranking
- China — 16th of 99: 31%
- Kosovo — 17th of 99: 29.69%
- North Macedonia — 18th of 99: 29.68%
- Ukraine — 20th of 99: 27.77%
- Georgia — 21st of 99: 26.13%
- Bangladesh — 22nd of 99: 24.44%
What this measures
Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 50 values
| Year | Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 28.67 |
| 2023 | 41.03 |
| 2022 | 52.26 |
| 2021 | 57.17 |
| 2020 | 63.22 |
| 2019 | 42.93 |
| 2018 | 39.88 |
| 2017 | 41.6 |
| 2016 | 42.18 |
| 2015 | 44.45 |
| 2014 |
Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) in nearby economies
- Bangladesh — 24.44% (2024)
- Bhutan — 0% (2024)
- India — 15.98% (2024)
- Maldives — 2.93% (2024)
- Nepal — 9.77% (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
Questions people ask
- What is Sri Lanka's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)?
- 28.67% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1975?
- It is up 17.41 percentage points from 11.27% in 1975. The highest value was 63.22% in 2020 and the lowest 7.07% in 1998.
- How does Sri Lanka rank?
- 19th highest of 99 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) unusual for Sri Lanka?
- In 2024, Sri Lanka's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) fell 12.36 percentage points on 2023 (from 41.03% to 28.67%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +1.12 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.24 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 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 DT.DOD.DSTC.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.
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.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in