Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports in August 2021 recorded an increase of 14.4 % to US$ 1,083.56 Mn as compared to US$ 947.2 Mn recorded in August 2020 as per the data released by Sri Lanka Customs.
Table 1: Merchandise Export Performance
Values in US$ Mns
| Exports of Goods | Jan-Aug 2019 | Jan-Aug 2020 | Jan-Aug 2021 | % Growth (20-21) | Aug 2020 | Aug 2021 | % Growth (20-21) |
| Apparel | 3,724.13 | 2,842.04 | 3,422.39 | 20.42 | 438.34 | 491.50 | 12.13 |
| Tea | 915.00 | 805.57 | 882.44 | 9.54 | 102.97 | 116.78 | 13.41 |
| Rubber-based | 609.86 | 506.75 | 708.92 | 39.90 | 72.53 | 92.34 | 27.31 |
| Coconut-based | 423.51 | 421.70 | 538.41 | 27.68 | 65.32 | 73.95 | 13.21 |
| Diamond, Gems & Jewelry | 197.42 | 98.70 | 170.57 | 72.82 | 13.19 | 21.80 | 65.28 |
| Electronics & Electronic Components | 258.43 | 209.20 | 278.16 | 32.96 | 32.93 | 36.71 | 11.48 |
| Spices and Concentrates | 204.00 | 195.58 | 283.42 | 44.91 | 39.88 | 39.78 | -0.25 |
| Processed Food & Beverages | 245.85 | 246.17 | 247.54 | 0.56 | 27.74 | 36.17 | 30.39 |
| Seafood | 184.46 | 133.15 | 165.48 | 24.28 | 15.57 | 18.63 | 19.65 |
| Ornamental Fish | 10.14 | 8.45 | 12.60 | 49.11 | 0.63 | 0.96 | 52.38 |
| Vegetables | 21.04 | 17.26 | 16.59 | -3.88 | 1.71 | 1.93 | 12.87 |
| Fruits | 28.05 | 24.50 | 25.51 | 4.12 | 3.08 | 3.63 | 17.86 |
| Other Export Crops | 20.37 | 56.27 | 41.30 | -26.60 | 6.58 | 8.64 | 31.31 |
| Flowers & Foliage | 12.94 | 8.66 | 10.19 | 17.67 | 0.95 | 0.99 | 4.21 |
| Boat Building | 63.75 | 1.91 | 2.82 | 47.64 | 0.27 | 0.15 | -44.44 |
| Petroleum Products | 220.97 | 227.28 | 144.34 | -36.49 | 21.45 | 29.33 | 36.74 |
| Others | 890.28 | 641.81 | 935.42 | 45.75 | 104.06 | 110.27 | 5.97 |
| Total Merchandize Exports | 8,030.2 | 6,445.0 | 7,886.1 | 22.36 | 947.2 | 1,083.56 | 14.4 |
Table 2: Top 10 Export Destinations
| Country | Jan-Aug 2020 | Jan-Aug 2021 | % Growth (20-21) | August 2020 | August 2021 | % Growth (20-21) | |
| 1 | United States | 1,652.17 | 1,905.02 | 15.30 | 248.63 | 273.66 | 10.07 |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 552.46 | 604.54 | 9.43 | 90.76 | 79.19 | -12.75 |
| 3 | India | 396.96 | 505.88 | 27.44 | 57.57 | 76.41 | 32.73 |
| 4 | Germany | 371.05 | 481.41 | 29.74 | 58.48 | 63.61 | 8.77 |
| 5 | Italy | 280.51 | 373.36 | 33.10 | 47.04 | 48.27 | 2.61 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 172.47 | 270.14 | 56.63 | 25.48 | 38.05 | 49.33 |
| 7 | Belgium | 183.27 | 214.91 | 17.26 | 26.51 | 28.36 | 6.98 |
| 8 | Canada | 132.93 | 200.65 | 50.94 | 23.36 | 27.27 | 16.74 |
| 9 | China | 138.73 | 186.67 | 34.56 | 24.07 | 22.04 | -8.43 |
| 10 | UAE | 127.88 | 180.73 | 41.33 | 14.67 | 28.21 | 92.30 |
| Others | 2,436.57 | 2,962.79 | 21.60 | 330.63 | 398.49 | 20.52 | |
| Total | 6,445.0 | 7,886.1 | 22.36 | 947.2 | 1,083.56 | 14.40 |
Table 3: Export Regions
| Region | Jan-Aug 2020 | Jan-Aug 2021 | % Growth (20-21) | August 2020 | August 2021 | % Growth (20-21) |
| EU excluding UK | 1,425.35 | 1,883.07 | 32.11 | 220.04 | 248.84 | 13.09 |
| United States | 1,652.17 | 1,905.02 | 15.30 | 248.63 | 273.66 | 10.07 |
| South Asia | 604.59 | 780.37 | 29.07 | 79.20 | 116.69 | 47.34 |
| Asean Countries | 196.79 | 207.27 | 5.33 | 22.30 | 40.40 | 81.17 |
| CIS Countries | 176.08 | 171.60 | -2.54 | 20.82 | 23.11 | 11.00 |
| African Countries | 162.51 | 207.59 | 27.74 | 21.79 | 29.29 | 34.42 |
| Middle East Countries (Excl. Cyprus & Egypt) | 475.98 | 558.67 | 17.37 | 86.17 | 52.38 | -39.21 |
| Others | 1,751.53 | 2,172.51 | 24.03 | 248.25 | 299.19 | 20.52 |
| Total Merchandise Exports | 6,445.0 | 7,886.1 | 22.36 | 947.2 | 1,083.56 | 14.40 |
Export of Services
The services exports estimated by EDB which includes ICT/BPM, Construction, Financial Services, and Transport & Logistics recorded a worth of US $ 2,184.5 Mn during the period of January to August 2021 compared to US$ 1,640.8 Mn recorded in the corresponding period of 2020.
Estimated service exports increased by 33.13 % during the period of January to August 2021 compared to the corresponding period of 2020.