International debt issues to GDP (%) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: International debt issues to GDP (%) was 20.2% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International debt issues to GDP in Sri Lanka, 1982–2020
Source: Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 20.2% for international debt issues to gdp in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and up 388.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international debt issues to gdp in Sri Lanka peaked at 20.6% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1984.
Sri Lanka ranks 56th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International debt issues to GDP (%) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0.3% | — |
| 1983 | 0.3% | -7.7% |
| 1984 | 0.2% | -21.1% |
| 1985 | 0.3% | +26.4% |
| 1986 | 0.3% | +18.2% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | +26.1% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | -8.1% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | -12.6% |
| 1990 | 0.3% | -8.9% |
| 1991 | 0.3% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | +24.2% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | +119.8% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | +241.7% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -12.4% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +13.4% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -15.3% |
| 2006 | 1.8% | -13.7% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | +72.3% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | -25.6% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | +37.5% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | +29.1% |
| 2011 | 5.1% | +23.8% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | +23.9% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | +20.7% |
| 2014 | 9.6% | +25.3% |
| 2015 | 11.5% | +19.8% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | +13.6% |
| 2017 | 13.5% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 16.1% | +19.7% |
| 2019 | 20.6% | +28.0% |
| 2020 | 20.2% | -2.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 20.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.5%, 1.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International debt issues to GDP (%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +241.7% | 0.7% | 2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 5 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 1.8% | 3.2% | 8 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 4.1% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.2% | 20.2% | 20.2% | 1 |
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 international debt issues to gdp in Sri Lanka?
- International debt issues to gdp in Sri Lanka was 20.2% in 2020, according to Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
- What is the highest international debt issues to gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2019.
- What is the lowest international debt issues to gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1984.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for international debt issues to gdp?
- Sri Lanka ranks 56th out of 116 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international debt issues to gdp rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 388.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Bank for International Settlements (BIS), published as part of International debt issues to GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total value of outstanding international debt issues both public and private, as a share of GDP. Offshore bank loan data from BIS Statistical Appendix Table 12A (Amount Outstanding): International debt securities - all issuers.