Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) was 14.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Customs and other import duties in Sri Lanka, 1990–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of tax revenue.
Analysis
The most recent figure for customs and other import duties in Sri Lanka is 14.3%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.6% on the previous year and down 24.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, customs and other import duties in Sri Lanka peaked at 29.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.9%, in 2010.
Sri Lanka ranks 31st of 151 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of tax revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 27.4% | — |
| 1991 | 27.3% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 27.3% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 23.6% | -13.4% |
| 1994 | 22.7% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 20.6% | -9.6% |
| 1996 | 19.6% | -4.9% |
| 1997 | 18.8% | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 19.1% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 16.7% | -12.6% |
| 2000 | 13.1% | -21.3% |
| 2001 | 12.7% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 12.8% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 14.8% | +15.6% |
| 2004 | 14.6% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 13.5% | -7.7% |
| 2006 | 12.3% | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 11.0% | -10.5% |
| 2008 | 10.9% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 12.9% | +17.9% |
| 2010 | 8.9% | -31.1% |
| 2011 | 9.3% | +5.6% |
| 2012 | 23.8% | +155.0% |
| 2013 | 19.1% | -20.0% |
| 2014 | 18.9% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 24.7% | +37.1% |
| 2017 | 22.1% | -10.7% |
| 2018 | 19.8% | -10.2% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 29.6% | +54.9% |
| 2021 | 27.0% | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 19.5% | -27.7% |
| 2023 | 14.3% | -26.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 14.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.5%, 2.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 14.3% is above the median for South Asia, which is 13.0%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +155.0% | 9.3% | 23.8% |
| 2020 | +54.9% | 19.1% | 29.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.3% | 16.7% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.8% | 10.9% | 14.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.4% | 8.9% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.6% | 14.3% | 29.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More public sector data for Sri Lanka
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 11.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4107 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 80 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is customs and other import duties in Sri Lanka?
- Customs and other import duties in Sri Lanka was 14.3% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest customs and other import duties recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest customs and other import duties recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9% in 2010.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for customs and other import duties?
- Sri Lanka ranks 31st out of 151 countries with data for 2023.
- Is customs and other import duties rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes and duties on imports are taxes on goods and services that become payable at the moment when goods enter the economic territory or when services are delivered by non-resident producers to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of tax revenue which includes compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units.