Overview: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing dominate the economy, employing about 45% of the labor force and accounting for 26% of GDP. The plantation crops of tea, rubber, and coconuts provide about 35% of export earnings. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s. Economic growth, which has been depressed by ethnic unrest, accelerated in 1990 as domestic conditions began to improve.

GDP: $6.6 billion, per capita $380; real growth rate 4.5% (1990 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 23% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 20% (1990 est.)

Budget: revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.5 billion (1990)

Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--tea, textiles and garments, petroleum products, coconut, rubber, agricultural products, gems and jewelry, marine products; partners--US 26%, FRG, Japan, UK, Belgium, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China

Imports: $2.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--food and beverages, textiles and textile materials, petroleum, machinery and equipment; partners--Japan, Saudi Arabia, US 5.6%, India, Singapore, FRG, UK, Iran

External debt: $5.6 billion (1989)

Industrial production: growth rate 6% (1989 est.); accounts for 18% of GDP

Electricity: 1,300,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1990)

Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco, clothing

Agriculture: accounts for 26% of GDP and nearly half of labor force; most important staple crop is paddy rice; other field crops--sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseeds, roots, spices; cash crops--tea, rubber, coconuts; animal products--milk, eggs, hides, meat; not self-sufficient in rice production

Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-88), $4.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $169 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $369 million

Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (plural--rupees); 1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees (SLRs) per US$1--40.272 (January 1991), 40.063 (1990), 36.047 (1989), 31.807 (1988), 29.445 (1987), 28.017 (1986), 27.163 (1985)

Fiscal year: calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Sri Lanka on this page is re-published from the 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Sri Lanka Economy 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Sri Lanka Economy 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.