📈 Sri Lanka External Surplus Surges 271% in Jan 2026

Sri Lanka’s external current account recorded a significant surplus of US$ 369.7 Mn in January 2026, tripling from the US$ 99.8 Mn recorded a year earlier. The improvement is driven by robust export growth and strong remittance inflows. • Trade Performance: The merchandise trade deficit narrowed to US$ 654.5 Mn. Exports grew 9.1% YoY to US$ 1.15 Bn, while imports saw a marginal 1% rise to US$ 1.8 Bn. Notably, vehicle imports slowed to US$ 224 Mn from US$ 301 Mn in December 2025. • Services & Tourism: The services account surplus dipped slightly to US$ 406.4 Mn. While tourism earnings reached US$ 378.3 Mn, a 154.5% surge in overseas travel expenditure (US$ 133.4 Mn) impacted net inflows. • Remittances & Investments: Workers’ remittances remain a vital pillar, rising 31.1% YoY to US$ 751.1 Mn. Financial accounts showed a net inflow of US$ 16.6 Mn in Govt. securities, offset by a US$ 21.9 Mn net outflow from the Colombo Stock Exchange. • Reserves & Currency: Gross official reserves stood at US$ 6.8 Bn at end-January. The Sri Lankan Rupee maintained stability with a 0.2% year-to-date appreciation against the US Dollar as of February 2026. • 2025 Retrospective: Based on provisional data, the 2025 full-year current account surplus reached US$ 1.73 Bn (+43.8% YoY), supported by annual remittances of US$ 8.08 Bn.