Claims on central government in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Claims on central government was 6.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Claims on central government in Sri Lanka, 1961–2019
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in annual growth as % of broad money.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 6.7% for claims on central government in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8,952.4% on the previous year and up 75.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, claims on central government in Sri Lanka peaked at 57.4% in 1980 and was at its lowest, -14.1%, in 1989.
That places Sri Lanka 41st out of 167 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Claims on central government in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | annual growth as % of broad money | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.3% | — |
| 1962 | 10.7% | -5.3% |
| 1963 | 7.6% | -28.4% |
| 1964 | 5.9% | -23.0% |
| 1965 | 3.6% | -38.3% |
| 1966 | 1.6% | -55.4% |
| 1967 | 14.4% | +790.6% |
| 1968 | 4.8% | -66.4% |
| 1969 | 6.7% | +37.5% |
| 1970 | 7.7% | +15.8% |
| 1971 | 6.7% | -12.7% |
| 1972 | -4.6% | -168.1% |
| 1973 | -4.8% | +5.5% |
| 1974 | -3.4% | -30.2% |
| 1975 | 4.6% | -237.0% |
| 1976 | 26.5% | +474.7% |
| 1977 | 17.5% | -33.9% |
| 1978 | -3.6% | -120.4% |
| 1979 | 18.9% | -626.9% |
| 1980 | 57.4% | +204.5% |
| 1981 | 18.9% | -67.0% |
| 1982 | 15.8% | -16.7% |
| 1983 | 4.9% | -68.7% |
| 1984 | -12.1% | -345.4% |
| 1985 | 14.4% | -219.3% |
| 1986 | 5.6% | -61.0% |
| 1987 | 10.3% | +82.8% |
| 1988 | 17.3% | +68.1% |
| 1989 | -14.1% | -181.6% |
| 1990 | 4.4% | -131.0% |
| 1991 | 4.4% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | -1.0% | -122.9% |
| 1993 | -4.3% | +327.1% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | -115.1% |
| 1995 | 5.4% | +730.2% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -82.7% |
| 1997 | -0.7% | -171.4% |
| 1998 | 5.6% | -947.2% |
| 1999 | 7.0% | +24.4% |
| 2000 | 12.5% | +78.1% |
| 2001 | 6.0% | -52.1% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | -45.7% |
| 2003 | -1.0% | -131.6% |
| 2004 | 4.7% | -554.4% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | -12.9% |
| 2006 | 9.2% | +126.0% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -85.2% |
| 2008 | 15.5% | +1037.9% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | -75.4% |
| 2010 | 0.0% | -99.1% |
| 2011 | 23.5% | +71927.6% |
| 2012 | 7.4% | -68.6% |
| 2013 | 11.6% | +57.1% |
| 2014 | 7.1% | -39.0% |
| 2015 | 5.0% | -29.1% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -24.1% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -11.6% |
| 2018 | -0.1% | -102.2% |
| 2019 | 6.7% | -8952.4% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 6.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.0%, 2.2× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 6.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 6.2%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Claims on central government in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +71927.6% | 0.0% | 23.5% |
| 2019 | +8952.4% | -0.1% | 6.7% |
| 2008 | +1037.9% | 1.4% | 15.5% |
| 1998 | +947.2% | -0.7% | 5.6% |
| 1967 | +790.6% | 1.6% | 14.4% |
| 1995 | +730.2% | 0.6% | 5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.4% | 1.6% | 14.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 6.6% | -4.8% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.8% | -14.1% | 57.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.2% | -4.3% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | -1.0% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.9% | -0.1% | 23.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More financial sector data for Sri Lanka
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 0.1797 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 0.1312 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 0.1797 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is claims on central government in Sri Lanka?
- Claims on central government in Sri Lanka was 6.7% in 2019, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest claims on central government recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 57.4% in 1980.
- What is the lowest claims on central government recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was -14.1% in 1989.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for claims on central government?
- Sri Lanka ranks 41st out of 167 countries with data for 2019.
- Is claims on central government rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Claims on central government include loans to central government institutions net of deposits. Broad money is the sum of all liquid financial instruments held by money-holding sectors that are widely accepted in an economy as a medium of exchange, plus those that can be converted into a medium of exchange at short notice at, or close to, their full nominal value. This indicator represents the annual percentage growth in the ratio of claims to broad money.