COLOMBO, Aug 31, (ePERSS) – Sri Lanka’s external sector continued to show strength in July 2025, with the current account posting consecutive monthly surpluses for the year.
Exports of goods and services rose to 12.0 billion US dollars in the first seven months of 2025, up 6.7 percent from a year earlier. In July alone, merchandise exports hit a record 1.3 billion dollars – the highest-ever monthly earnings.
The merchandise trade deficit narrowed in July as exports grew faster than imports. Vehicle imports were valued at 193 million dollars in July, pushing total vehicle imports for January-July to 668 million dollars.
Tourism and services also supported the external sector. Tourist arrivals in July stood at 200,244, a 6.6 percent increase from last year, generating an estimated 318 million dollars. For the first seven months, tourism earnings reached 2.0 billion dollars, slightly above the 1.9 billion dollars recorded in 2024. Net inflows from services rose 3.3 percent to 2.4 billion dollars.
Workers’ remittances brought further relief, with inflows of 697 million dollars in July – the highest since December 2020.
Gross official reserves stood at 6.1 billion dollars at the end of July, including the swap facility with the People’s Bank of China, despite continued debt servicing.
By end-August, the Sri Lanka rupee had depreciated 3.3 percent against the US dollar.
