Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports grew 9.87% year-on-year to US$1.06 billion in April 2026, according to data released by the Export Development Board.
Cumulative merchandise exports for January–April 2026 reached US$4.52 billion, up 4.8% on the same period last year. This dataset covers goods-only trade and is separate from the country’s total export earnings of $5.78 billion for the same period, which encompasses services.
The United States remains the top merchandise export destination at around 22% of total shipments. April exports to the US rose 3.15% to $196.37 million, though the cumulative January–April figure edged down 2.09% to $945.76 million.
India overtook the United Kingdom as the second-largest merchandise market for the year-to-date, with exports up 8.9% to $364.15 million. UK exports fell sharply — down 15.18% in April to $62.40 million and off 7.96% year-to-date — as the bilateral trade relationship cooled.
China posted the strongest growth among major markets. April exports to China rose 24.11%, bringing the January–April cumulative gain to 24.5%. Mexico also surged, recording the highest growth rate at 35.62% year-to-date, while Japan was up 16.2%.
The UAE was the standout decline, with April exports down 33.69% and the year-to-date off 16.24%. The EDB attributed the fall to US-Gulf geopolitical tensions, a headwind also seen in declining tea exports to Gulf markets and in Sri Lanka’s first-quarter export performance, which factored in Hormuz disruption risk.
