Taxes on international trade in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Taxes on international trade was 12.8% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Taxes on international trade in Sri Lanka, 1990–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
The most recent figure for taxes on international trade in Sri Lanka is 12.8%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 25.4% on the previous year and down 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on international trade in Sri Lanka peaked at 26.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 2001.
Sri Lanka ranks 29th of 154 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Taxes on international trade in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 26.0% | — |
| 1991 | 23.4% | -9.9% |
| 1992 | 23.0% | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 19.4% | -15.6% |
| 1994 | 19.1% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 16.8% | -12.1% |
| 1996 | 16.5% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 15.5% | -6.0% |
| 1998 | 15.5% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 13.7% | -11.5% |
| 2000 | 11.1% | -19.0% |
| 2001 | 10.9% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 11.9% | +9.2% |
| 2003 | 14.0% | +17.2% |
| 2004 | 15.2% | +8.9% |
| 2005 | 13.7% | -10.1% |
| 2006 | 14.6% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 14.2% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 14.3% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 18.9% | +32.2% |
| 2010 | 15.7% | -17.1% |
| 2011 | 16.6% | +6.2% |
| 2012 | 20.3% | +22.1% |
| 2013 | 16.6% | -18.1% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 16.7% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 21.5% | +28.7% |
| 2017 | 20.2% | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 17.7% | -12.4% |
| 2019 | 17.6% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 26.3% | +50.0% |
| 2021 | 24.1% | -8.5% |
| 2022 | 17.1% | -29.0% |
| 2023 | 12.8% | -25.4% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 12.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.5%, 2.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 12.8% is above the median for South Asia, which is 11.0%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.9% | 13.7% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.9% | 10.9% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.0% | 15.7% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.1% | 12.8% | 26.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More public sector data for Sri Lanka
- Arms imports 9.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- 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)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 9.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 60.84 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0134 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 14.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.33 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 80.83 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is taxes on international trade in Sri Lanka?
- Taxes on international trade in Sri Lanka was 12.8% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest taxes on international trade recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 26.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest taxes on international trade recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 2001.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for taxes on international trade?
- Sri Lanka ranks 29th out of 154 countries with data for 2023.
- Is taxes on international trade rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Taxes on international trade (% of revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.