Sri Lanka's export economy reached a new high in 2025. Total export earnings, including merchandise and services, rose to USD 17.25 billion, while merchandise exports reached USD 13.58 billion. This guide uses the latest complete annual figures published in the Sri Lanka Export Development Board's 2025 performance release, based on Sri Lanka Customs and Central Bank data.
For exporters and buyers, the headline is clear: apparel remains the country's largest export engine, the United States remains the biggest single destination, India has moved into second place, and coconut-based exports are growing rapidly. The sections below explain the products, partners, HS codes, and opportunities behind those numbers.
Introduction to Sri Lanka's export market
Sri Lanka sits beside major Indian Ocean shipping lanes and combines established manufacturing with globally recognized agricultural products. In 2025, merchandise export earnings grew 6.32% year on year to USD 13.58 billion. Estimated services exports added USD 3.67 billion, led by ICT/BPM and logistics and transport services.
The country's trade base is concentrated enough to give exporters strong sector expertise, but diverse enough to create opportunities beyond garments. Tea, solid tyres and gloves, coconut food ingredients, activated carbon, processed foods, spices, seafood, and electrical components all contribute to the export mix.
What are Sri Lanka's major exports?
- Apparel and textiles – The largest merchandise export category generated USD 4.909 billion in 2025. The United States, European Union, and United Kingdom are the industry's core markets.
- Ceylon tea – Tea exports earned USD 1.507 billion, supported by stronger packeted-tea performance and demand across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.
- Coconut and coconut-based products – Earnings surged 42.66% to USD 1.233 billion. Coconut oil, coconut cream, milk powder, coco peat, and activated carbon are important value-added lines.
- Rubber and finished rubber products – The sector earned USD 945.73 million. Solid and pneumatic tyres, industrial products, and medical or surgical gloves are established export strengths.
- Food, beverages, and spices – Processed foods expanded strongly in 2025, while true cinnamon remains one of Sri Lanka's most distinctive premium products.
- Electrical and electronic components – Insulated wires, transformers, switches, boards, and related components generated USD 438.49 million.
Key market trends shaping Sri Lankan trade
| Market signal | What the 2025 data shows |
|---|---|
| Export recovery | Total merchandise and services exports increased 5.6% to USD 17.25 billion. |
| India moves up | Exports to India rose 17.21% to USD 1.04 billion, making it the second-largest single-country destination. |
| EU demand strengthens | Exports to the European Union grew 13.41%; Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands all posted double-digit growth. |
| Value-added coconut boom | Coconut product earnings grew 42.66%, led by coconut oil, cream, milk powder, and other processed products. |
| Services diversify earnings | ICT/BPM exports reached an estimated USD 1.64 billion and logistics and transport services USD 1.85 billion. |
The momentum continued into 2026: the EDB's January–July 2026 update reported estimated exports of USD 10.49 billion, up 5.48% from the same period of 2025. Because a complete 2026 calendar year is not yet available, the partner and product comparisons in this article use full-year 2025 data.
Top trading partners of Sri Lanka in 2025
| Rank | Destination | Export value | Share of merchandise exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | USD 2,999.15 million | 22.1% |
| 2 | India | USD 1,035.72 million | 7.6% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | USD 929.03 million | 6.8% |
| 4 | Germany | USD 706.49 million | 5.2% |
| 5 | Italy | USD 679.77 million | 5.0% |
United States: The largest single export market is anchored by apparel, rubber products, tea, and other manufactured goods. Official EDB data places 2025 exports at USD 2.999 billion.
India: Petroleum products, animal feed, fats and oils, and other regional trade flows helped India overtake the United Kingdom in 2025.
United Kingdom and European Union: Apparel is central to demand from the UK, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Taken together, the EU absorbed about 24% of Sri Lanka's merchandise exports in 2025, so the regional relationship is larger than any single-country ranking suggests.
Opportunities for exporters and buyers
- Technical and sustainable apparel – Sri Lanka's established apparel base can compete in activewear, lingerie, performance fabrics, recycled inputs, and smaller high-compliance production runs.
- Value-added coconut products – The 2025 growth rate points to demand for coconut milk, cream, oil, flour, coco peat, and activated carbon rather than only raw agricultural output.
- Premium tea and cinnamon – Origin-led branding, specialty grades, traceability, organic certification, and retail-ready packaging can raise unit values.
- Rubber engineering – Solid tyres, industrial components, and specialized gloves offer a route into higher-value manufacturing supply chains.
- Electronics and services – Component manufacturing, ICT/BPM, and logistics services expand the country's role beyond traditional goods exports.
- Regional trade with India – India's rapid growth as a destination creates room for product-specific buyer discovery, but exporters should verify current tariff treatment and rules of origin before quoting.
HS codes for Sri Lanka's key export products
| HS code | Product description | Exporter note |
|---|---|---|
| 610910 | Cotton T-shirts, singlets, and other vests, knitted or crocheted | One representative code within knitted apparel |
| 620342 | Men's or boys' cotton trousers and shorts, not knitted | Exact classification depends on garment material and construction |
| 090240 | Other black tea and other partly fermented tea | Pack size and processing determine the final tariff line |
| 401110 | New pneumatic tyres of rubber, of a kind used on motor cars | Tyres for buses, trucks, aircraft, and industrial vehicles use other subheadings |
| 151319 | Coconut oil and its fractions, refined, but not chemically modified | Virgin or crude coconut oil may classify differently |
| 090611 | Cinnamon, neither crushed nor ground | Confirm the botanical and processed form before filing |
These are internationally harmonized six-digit examples, not a substitute for a binding classification. Confirm the complete national tariff line, product composition, and destination-country requirements using the Sri Lanka Customs tariff and the importing country's current schedule.
How Exim Data Hub helps exporters
| Feature | Exporter benefit |
|---|---|
| Buyer and supplier intelligence | Identify active importers by product, market, and shipment behavior. |
| HS code intelligence | Narrow classification options and compare product-level trade flows. |
| Partner and market analysis | Measure destination growth, concentration, seasonality, and competitive origins. |
| Shipment visibility | Review routes, quantities, ports, and trading activity before outreach. |
Whether you export apparel, tea, coconut ingredients, rubber products, or electrical components, Exim Data Hub helps turn national-level trends into a shortlist of real markets and buyers.
Conclusion
- Sri Lanka earned USD 17.25 billion from merchandise and services exports in 2025.
- The United States remained the largest single destination, while India moved into second place.
- Apparel remained the leading product group; coconut-based products delivered standout growth.
- Exporters can improve decisions by pairing correct HS classification with current partner, buyer, and shipment data.
Want to export smarter?
Use Exim Data Hub to compare markets, find active buyers, and plan the next shipment with verified trade intelligence.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Which country is Sri Lanka's largest export partner?
The United States was Sri Lanka's largest single-country merchandise export destination in 2025, receiving USD 2,999.15 million of goods.
Q2: What are Sri Lanka's biggest exports?
Apparel and textiles lead, followed by tea, coconut-based products, rubber products, food and beverages, and electrical and electronic components.
Q3: How much did Sri Lanka export in 2025?
Total merchandise and services export earnings were USD 17.252 billion. Merchandise exports accounted for USD 13.579 billion.
Q4: Which Sri Lankan export sector grew fastest in 2025?
Among the major categories covered here, coconut and coconut-based products stood out, rising 42.66% to USD 1.233 billion.
