Foreign direct investment, net in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Foreign direct investment, net was -650.82 million BoP, current US$ in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
-650.82 million BoP, current US$
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
112th
of 196 countries
All-time high
1.22 million BoP, current US$
in 1977
All-time low
-1.55 billion BoP, current US$
in 2018
Years of data
49
1975–2024

Foreign direct investment, net in Sri Lanka, 1975–2024

-1.5B-1.0B-500.0M0197519992024

Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in BoP, current US$.

Analysis

In 2024, foreign direct investment, net in Sri Lanka stood at -650.82 million BoP, current US$.

The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 21.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.22 million BoP, current US$ in 1977 and was at its lowest, -1.55 billion BoP, current US$, in 2018.

That places Sri Lanka 112th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s -11.83 million BoP, current US$ -46.91 million BoP, current US$ 1.22 million BoP, current US$ 4
1980s -39.97 million BoP, current US$ -63.57 million BoP, current US$ -17.70 million BoP, current US$ 10
1990s -152.89 million BoP, current US$ -430.06 million BoP, current US$ -42.53 million BoP, current US$ 10
2000s -326.51 million BoP, current US$ -690.50 million BoP, current US$ -171.79 million BoP, current US$ 10
2010s -870.26 million BoP, current US$ -1.55 billion BoP, current US$ -435.06 million BoP, current US$ 10
2020s -635.15 million BoP, current US$ -869.02 million BoP, current US$ -419.53 million BoP, current US$ 5

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 109 Lebanon -582.76 million BoP, current US$ compare
  2. 110 Montenegro -601.07 million BoP, current US$ compare
  3. 111 Iceland -650.01 million BoP, current US$ compare
  4. 113 Macao -650.90 million BoP, current US$ compare
  5. 114 New Caledonia -702.86 million BoP, current US$ compare
  6. 115 Tunisia -725.01 million BoP, current US$ compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More economy & growth data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign direct investment, net in Sri Lanka?
Foreign direct investment, net in Sri Lanka was -650.82 million BoP, current US$ in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest foreign direct investment, net recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 1.22 million BoP, current US$ in 1977.
What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was -1.55 billion BoP, current US$ in 2018.
How does Sri Lanka rank for foreign direct investment, net?
Sri Lanka ranks 112th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is foreign direct investment, net rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Foreign direct investment, net (BoP, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Foreign direct investment, net (BoP, current US$)
Unit
BoP, current US$
Source
Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
197 places, 7,300 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Foreign direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the voting power is evidence of a direct investment relationship. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.