Year over year, the value of Sri Lanka’s import purchases accelerated by 12.5% from $18.6 billion starting from 2024.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, the Sri Lanka rupee depreciated by -0.3% against the US dollar from 2024 to 2025. Sri Lanka’s slightly weaker local currency makes its imports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively more expensive for Sri Lankan buyers starting from the Sri Lanka rupee.
Sri Lanka’s Major Suppliers for Imported Products
The latest available country-specific data shows that 79.1% of products imported into Sri Lanka was shipped by exporters in: mainland China (24.3% of the Sri Lankan total), India (20.4%), United Arab Emirates (6.8%), Japan (5.3%), Singapore (4.64%), Malaysia (4.56%), Indonesia (2.62%), United States of America (2.58%), Thailand (2.3%), Oman (2.1%), Russia (1.98%) and Pakistan (1.65%).
Applying a continental lens, more than four-fifths (83%) of Sri Lanka’s total imports by value was purchased from fellow Asian countries. Trade partners in Europe supplied 9.7% of import sales to Sri Lanka while another 3.2% worth of products originated from North America.
Smaller percentages came from exporters in Oceania (2.6%) led by New Zealand and Australia, Latin America (0.8%) excluding Mexico plus the Caribbean, then Africa (0.6%).
Given Sri Lanka’s population of 21.9 million people, its total US$20.9 billion in 2025 imports translates to roughly $950 in yearly product demand from every person in the island nation. That dollar metric surpasses the average $825 per capita during 2024.
Sri Lanka’s Top 10 Imports
The following product groups represent the highest dollar value in Sri Lanka’s import purchases during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each product category represents in terms of overall imports into Sri Lanka.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$3.7 billion (17.8% of total imports)
- Vehicles: $2.2 billion (10.6%)
- Machinery including computers: $1.6 billion (7.7%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $1.2 billion (5.8%)
- Knit or crochet fabric: $899.1 million (4.3%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $712.4 million (3.4%)
- Iron, steel: $634.3 million (3%)
- Cotton: $562 million (2.7%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $530.5 million (2.5%)
- Cereals: $498.1 million (2.4%)
Sri Lanka’s top 10 imports generated three-fifths (60.3%) of the overall value of its product purchases from international suppliers.
Among its top 10 import categories, Sri Lankan purchases of vehicles rose 774.5% from 2024 to 2025.
The second-greatest increase was for Sri Lanka’s spending on pharmaceuticals (up 15.9%).
In third place were imports of the metals iron and steel recording a 10.8% year-over-year advance ahead of imported machinery including computers (up 10.1%).
The decliners from 2024 were Sri Lanka’s imports of mineral fuels including oil (down -7% from 2024) ahead of cotton (down -6%) and knitted or crocheted fabric (down -5.6%).
Please note that the results listed above are at the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level.
Information presented below at the more granular 4-digit HTS code level.
By value, the top 10 most valuable imported products bought by Sri Lanka during 2025 were processed petroleum oils (10.9% of Sri Lanka’s total), cars (6.8%), crude oil (3.8%), medication mixes in dosage (2.2%), fabrics other than warp-knit (also 2.2%), petroleum gases (1.9%), wide-knit or crocheted fabrics (also 1.9%), sugar (1.6%), concentrated or sweetened milk (also 1.6%), then phone devices including smartphones (1.4%).
Sri Lanka’s Main Imports of Mineral Fuels and Related Products
In 2025, Sri Lankan importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of fossil fuel-related products.
- Processed petroleum oils: US$2.3 billion (down -8.3% from 2024)
- Crude oil: $797.2 million (up 2.7%)
- Petroleum gases: $391.9 million (up 4.1%)
- Coal, solid fuels made from coal: $202.2 million (down -36.1%)
- Petroleum oil residues: $31.9 million (up 20.5%)
- Coal tar oils (high temperature distillation): $4.1 million (down -13%)
- Petroleum jelly, mineral waxes: $3.9 million (down -19.1%)
- Coke, semi-coke: $516,000 (down -40.3%)
- Peat: $85,000 (down -30.3%)
- Asphalt/petroleum bitumen mixes: $71,000 (up 31.5%)
Among these import subcategories, Sri Lankan purchases of asphalt or petroleum bitumen mixes (up 31.5%), petroleum oil residues (up 20.5%) then petroleum gases (up 4.1%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported fossil fuel-related among Sri Lankan businesses and consumers.
Sri Lanka’s Main Imports of Vehicles
In 2025, Sri Lankan importers spent the most on the following subcategories of vehicles.
- Cars: US$1.4 billion (up 3,120% from 2024)
- Trucks: $223.6 million (up 2,552%)
- Motorcycles: $219.8 million (up 968.7%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $88.5 million (up 21%)
- Public-transport vehicles: $86.7 million (up 4,536%)
- Motorcycle parts/accessories: $85.2 million (up 47.1%)
- Tractors: $84 million (up 138.3%)
- Automobile bodies: $10.9 million (up 52.5%)
- Trailers: $6.3 million (up 145.3%)
- Armored vehicles, tanks: $2.1 million (2024 data unavailable)
Among these import subcategories, Sri Lankan purchases of public-transport vehicles (up 4,536%), cars (up 3,120%) then trucks (up 2,552%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of vehicles bought by Sri Lankan importers.
Sri Lanka’s Main Imports of Machinery Including Computers
In 2025, Sri Lankan importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of machinery including computers.
- Computers, optical readers: US$151.8 million (up 23.2% from 2024)
- Derricks, cranes: $143 million (down -44.9%)
- Air conditioners: $76 million (up 8.5%)
- Printing machinery: $68.1 million (up 29.8%)
- Refrigerators, freezers: $65.5 million (up 38.1%)
- Air or vacuum pumps: $64.6 million (up 15.9%)
- Turbo-jets: $55.4 million (down -2.3%)
- Taps, valves, similar appliances: $54.6 million (up 12.3%)
- Harvest/threshing machinery: $51 million (up 99.1%)
- Liquid pumps and elevators: $49.8 million (up 53.8%)
Among these import subcategories, Sri Lankan purchases of harvesting or threshing machinery (up 99.1%), liquid pumps and elevators (up 53.8%) then refrigerators and freezers (up 38.1%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported machinery among Sri Lankan businesses and consumers.
Sri Lanka’s Main Imports of Electrical Products
In 2025, Sri Lankan importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of electrical items including consumer electronics.
- Phone devices including smartphones: US$293.6 million (up 21% from 2024)
- Electric motors, generators: $113.7 million (down -13.1%)
- Electrical converters/power units: $103.7 million (up 2.2%)
- TV receivers/monitors/projectors: $84.5 million (up 12.5%)
- Lower-voltage switches, fuses: $66.6 million (up 17.8%)
- Insulated wire/cable: $60.4 million (up 9.5%)
- Electrical/optical circuit boards, panels: $43.5 million (up 3.6%)
- Solar power diodes/semi-conductors: $41.4 million (down -14.9%)
- Integrated circuits/microassemblies: $41 million (up 14%)
- Electric storage batteries: $40.2 million (down -18%)
Among these import subcategories, Sri Lankan purchases of phone devices including smartphones (up 21%), lower-voltage switches or fuses (up 17.8%) then integrated circuits and microassemblies (up 14%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported electronics among Sri Lankan businesses and consumers.
See also Sri Lanka’s Top 10 Exports, Tea Exports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top US Trading Partners, United Kingdom’s Top Trading Partners and India’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook report on South Asia: Sri Lanka. Accessed on August 5, 2026
EXCHANGE-RATES.org Sri Lanka Rupee (LKR) to US Dollar, Exchange Rate History. Accessed on August 5, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 5, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on August 5, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 5, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 5, 2026
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade . Accessed on August 5, 2026
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on August 5, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Sri Lanka. Accessed on August 5, 2026
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on August 5, 2026