Export earnings top US $ 8.3bn in 1H25

JUNE MERCHANDISE EXPORTS UP 6.9% YOY, WHILE SERVICES EXPORTS UP NEARLY 10%

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Sri Lanka’s export economy packed a punch in the first half of 2025, crossing the US $ 8.3 billion mark for the first time in three years, as a surge in services and agri-based shipments helped offset the sectoral drag.

Exports in the January-June period rose 6.7 percent year-on-year (YoY) to US $ 8.34 billion, the provisional data from the Export Development Board showed, showing signs of a recovery driven by value-added exports and stronger regional demand.

The momentum held up in June, with total exports climbing 8.7 percent from a year earlier to US $ 1.46 billion. Merchandise exports rose 6.9 percent to US $ 1.15 billion, while services exports, now a key growth pillar, were estimated at US $ 309.6 million, up nearly 10 percent.

Export earnings from services continued their upward momentum, with ICT/BPM exports estimated to have grown 34.1 percent YoY in June to US $ 147.2 million. Logistics and transport services followed closely with a 12.4 percent rise to US $ 148.2 million.

For the January-June period, ICT/BPM exports rose 11 percent to US $ 764.5 million, while Logistics services climbed 179 percent to US $ 974.3 million, together accounting for over 94 percent of total services exports.