Sri Lanka records USD 884Mn exports in May 2021
Sri Lanka’s export sector performance has been able to manage its growth momentum in May 2021 with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As per the statistics released by Sri Lanka Customs, Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports in May 2021 were US$ 884.2 Million, an increase of 50.71% over US$ 586.7 Million in May 2020.
Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports in January-May 2021 was US$ 4,583.56 Million, an increase of 32.61% over US$ 3,456.32 Million in January-May 2020.
Merchandise Export Performance Values in US$ Mns
| Exports of Goods | Jan-May 2019 | Jan-May 2020 | Jan-May 2021 | % Growth (20-21) | May 2020 | May 2021 | % Growth (20-21) |
| Apparel | 2,248.68 | 1,534.61 | 2,064.17 | 34.51 | 218.83 | 370.87 | 69.48 |
| Tea | 571.77 | 456.72 | 526.62 | 15.30 | 108.28 | 109.23 | 0.88 |
| Rubber-based products | 376.33 | 280.31 | 424.47 | 51.43 | 51.19 | 91.18 | 78.12 |
| Coconut-based products | 259.50 | 216.63 | 317.19 | 46.42 | 51.80 | 66.71 | 28.78 |
| Electronics & Electronic Components | 162.26 | 113.07 | 164.28 | 45.29 | 21.66 | 35.19 | 62.47 |
| Spices and Concentrates | 119.65 | 82.77 | 162.01 | 95.74 | 19.29 | 25.24 | 30.84 |
| Food & Beverages | 158.57 | 124.70 | 147.66 | 18.41 | 23.88 | 30.23 | 26.59 |
| Diamond, Gems & Jewelery | 134.50 | 61.04 | 107.04 | 75.36 | 6.61 | 14.19 | 114.67 |
| Seafood | 122.18 | 74.79 | 90.60 | 21.14 | 11.53 | 15.05 | 30.53 |
| Ornamental Fish | 6.91 | 4.40 | 5.94 | 35.00 | 0.46 | 0.90 | 95.65 |
| Other Export Crops | 11.82 | 29.85 | 23.53 | -21.17 | 5.08 | 4.53 | -10.83 |
| Vegetables | 13.53 | 9.66 | 9.57 | -0.93 | 1.75 | 1.74 | -0.57 |
| Fruits | 17.97 | 14.19 | 14.82 | 4.44 | 2.83 | 2.84 | 0.35 |
| Flowers & Foliage | 8.36 | 5.16 | 5.69 | 10.27 | 0.80 | 0.94 | 17.50 |
| Boat Building | 2.86 | 1.33 | 1.48 | 11.28 | 0.42 | 0.53 | 26.19 |
| Petroleum Products | 133.45 | 141.01 | 51.12 | -63.75 | 27.07 | 27.71 | 2.36 |
| Others | 497.38 | 306.08 | 467.37 | 52.70 | 35.22 | 87.14 | 147.42 |
| Total Merchandize Exports | 4,845.72 | 3,456.32 | 4,583.56 | 32.61 | 586.70 | 884.22 | 50.71 |
Top 10 Export Destinations
| Country | Jan-May 2020 | Jan-May 2021 | % Growth (20-21) | May 2020 | May 2021 | % Growth (20-21) | |
| 1 | United States | 905.10 | 1,133.71 | 25.26 | 145.51 | 213.11 | 46.46 |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 296.21 | 366.53 | 23.74 | 42.56 | 72.29 | 69.85 |
| 3 | India | 220.53 | 302.63 | 37.23 | 38.08 | 55.28 | 45.17 |
| 4 | Germany | 195.85 | 286.00 | 46.03 | 35.63 | 53.80 | 51.00 |
| 5 | Italy | 135.66 | 226.02 | 66.61 | 18.09 | 40.45 | 123.60 |
| 6 | Belgium | 94.35 | 132.18 | 40.10 | 15.65 | 26.71 | 70.67 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 88.16 | 162.10 | 83.87 | 16.56 | 27.11 | 63.71 |
| 8 | China | 71.21 | 116.96 | 64.25 | 12.96 | 20.91 | 61.34 |
| 9 | Canada | 71.92 | 114.98 | 59.87 | 12.73 | 20.47 | 60.80 |
| 10 | Turkey | 68.27 | 81.43 | 19.28 | 15.72 | 15.98 | 1.65 |
| Other Markets | 1,309.07 | 1,661.04 | 26.89 | 233.21 | 338.11 | 44.98 | |
| Total Merchandise Exports | 3456.32 | 4583.56 | 32.61 | 586.70 | 884.22 | 50.71 |
Export Regions
| Region | Jan-May 2020 | Jan-May 2021 | % Growth (20-21) | May 2020 | May 2021 | % Growth (20-21) |
| EU excluding UK | 741.95 | 1,135.99 | 53.11 | 128.84 | 210.05 | 63.03 |
| United States | 905.10 | 1,133.71 | 25.26 | 145.51 | 213.11 | 46.46 |
| South Asia | 333.13 | 455.88 | 36.85 | 50.58 | 94.87 | 87.56 |
| ASEAN Countries | 80.79 | 123.63 | 53.03 | 14.94 | 23.58 | 57.83 |
| CIS Countries | 118.30 | 112.52 | -4.89 | 16.60 | 22.94 | 38.19 |
| African Countries | 102.96 | 102.58 | -0.37 | 22.99 | 20.01 | -12.96 |
| Middle East Countries (Excl. Cyprus & Egypt) | 278.86 | 310.32 | 11.28 | 62.14 | 66.39 | 6.84 |
| Others | 895.23 | 1,208.93 | 35.04 | 145.10 | 233.27 | 60.76 |
| Total Merchandise Exports | 3456.32 | 4583.56 | 32.61 | 586.70 | 884.22 | 50.71 |
Export of Services
The services exports estimated by EDB which includes ICT/BPM, Construction, Financial Services, and Transport & Logistics show exports of US $ 1,194.3 Mn for the period of January to April 2021 compared to US$ 1,021.9 Mn recorded in the corresponding period of 2020.
Estimated service exports increased by 16.87 % in the first four months of 2021 compared to the corresponding period of 2020.