Sri Lanka: Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Sri Lanka's subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) fell 1.13 percentage points on 2022 (from 22.09% to 20.96%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.84 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 5.34 percentage points in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.92 percentage points 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% 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 70th highest value of the 79 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

• Bahamas, The — 67th of 79: 22.5%
• Singapore — 68th of 79: 22.45%
• United Arab Emirates — 69th of 79: 22.43%
• Dominican Republic — 71st of 79: 20.89%
• Vanuatu — 72nd of 79: 17.81%
• Kenya — 73rd of 79: 17.43%

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 as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.

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

Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 34.12% (2021)
• Bhutan — 15.88% (2020)
• India — 42.52% (2022)
• Maldives — 28.71% (2021)
• Nepal — 77.19% (2021)

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 (% of expense)?

20.96% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 6.65 percentage points from 27.61% in 1990. The highest value was 28.51% in 1991 and the lowest 19.3% in 2012.

How does Sri Lanka rank?

70th highest of 79 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) unusual for Sri Lanka?

In 2023, Sri Lanka's subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) fell 1.13 percentage points on 2022 (from 22.09% to 20.96%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.84 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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.XPN.TRFT.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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