Real Sector
A visual overview of Sri Lanka’s productive economy covering GDP growth, sectoral output, aggregate demand, income distribution, industrial production, employment, provincial economic activity, wages and key infrastructure indicators. The dashboard uses the latest observations available in the supplied Central Bank of Sri Lanka and Department of Census and Statistics datasets.
Sri Lanka’s real economy contracted sharply during the crisis period, with real GDP declining by 7.35% in 2022 and a further 2.03% in 2023. The economy subsequently returned to growth, expanding by 4.99% in 2024 and approximately 4.95% in 2025. Real GDP reached approximately Rs. 13.13 trillion at constant 2015 prices in 2025.
Services remained the largest component of gross value added, accounting for approximately 61.1% in Q1 2026. Industry contributed approximately 30.6%, while Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing accounted for approximately 8.2%.
Total domestic demand reached approximately Rs. 34.02 trillion in 2025. Private consumption accounted for the largest component at approximately Rs. 22.10 trillion, while gross domestic capital formation reached approximately Rs. 9.71 trillion. Net external demand remained negative, reflecting imports exceeding exports.
In 2025, Gross Mixed Income was the largest income component at approximately 32.6% of GDP, followed by Gross Operating Surplus at approximately 29.8% and Compensation of Employees at approximately 25.1%. Taxes less subsidies on products accounted for approximately 11.6% of GDP.
The overall IIP declined from 108.1 in 2019 to 88.2 in 2023 before recovering to 93.2 in 2024 and a provisional 97.8 in 2025. The index therefore indicates a continued recovery in industrial activity, although it remains below the 2019 level.
Services represented the largest employment base, with approximately 4.05 million people employed during the first nine months of 2025. Industry accounted for approximately 1.43 million, while Agriculture accounted for approximately 1.97 million. Total employment reached approximately 8.10 million in Q1 2026, with unemployment at 3.7%.
The Western Province remained the dominant regional economy, with GDP of approximately Rs. 12.75 trillion in 2024. North Western Province followed at approximately Rs. 3.48 trillion, while Central Province recorded approximately Rs. 3.23 trillion. The provincial distribution highlights the continuing concentration of economic activity in the Western Province.
By June 2026, the public-sector nominal wage index had reached approximately 192.6, while its real wage index stood at approximately 77.1. The informal private-sector nominal wage index reached approximately 207.4, with the real index at approximately 92.0. The divergence between nominal and real indices reflects the effect of price changes on purchasing power.
Electricity installed capacity increased from approximately 4,217 MW in 2019 to approximately 4,768 MW in 2025. Meanwhile, total port cargo handled increased to approximately 126.4 million metric tonnes in 2025, indicating strengthening activity across key physical infrastructure networks.