Sri Lanka: Subsidies and other transfers (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Sri Lanka's subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) rose 24.4% on 2022 (from 836.9 billion to 1.04 trillion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +13.1% and a typical year strayed about 13.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 46.8% in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.4% in 1992. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 69.73 billion a year. A straight line explains 88% 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 2023, Sri Lanka had the 5th highest value of the 16 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

• Kazakhstan — 1st of 16: 14.39 trillion
• Cambodia — 2nd of 16: 8.4 trillion
• Côte d'Ivoire — 3rd of 16: 3.82 trillion
• Kenya — 5th of 16: 729.71 billion
• Nepal — 6th of 16: 707.06 billion
• Iceland — 7th of 16: 411.61 billion

What this measures

Subsidies are current unrequited payments that government units, including nonresident government units, make to enterprises on the basis of the levels of their production activities or the quantities or values of the goods or services that they produce, sell, export or import. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

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).

All 34 values

Subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 1 trillion (2021)
• Bhutan — 6.96 billion (2020)
• India — 15.24 trillion (2022)
• Maldives — 6.83 billion (2021)
• Nepal — 707.06 billion (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 subsidies and other transfers (current LCU)?

1.04 trillion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 4,656% from 21.89 billion in 1990 (12.41% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.04 trillion in 2023 and the lowest 21.89 billion in 1990.

How does Sri Lanka rank?

5th highest of 16 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) unusual for Sri Lanka?

In 2023, Sri Lanka's subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) rose 24.4% on 2022 (from 836.9 billion to 1.04 trillion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +13.1% and a typical year strayed about 13.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 GC.XPN.TRFT.CN, 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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