Cereal production in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Cereal production was 4.74 million metric tons in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.74 million metric tons
Change on year
up 29.5%
World rank
60th
of 181 countries
All-time high
5.63 million metric tons
in 2021
All-time low
795,199 metric tons
in 1965
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereal production in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereal production in Sri Lanka is 4.74 million metric tons, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 29.5% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.63 million metric tons in 2021 and was at its lowest, 795,199 metric tons, in 1965.
That places Sri Lanka 60th out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Cereal production in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 951,868 metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 1.06 million metric tons | +11.6% |
| 1963 | 1.08 million metric tons | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 1.10 million metric tons | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 795,199 metric tons | -27.7% |
| 1966 | 1.01 million metric tons | +27.2% |
| 1967 | 1.19 million metric tons | +17.7% |
| 1968 | 1.39 million metric tons | +16.4% |
| 1969 | 1.41 million metric tons | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 1.64 million metric tons | +16.4% |
| 1971 | 1.42 million metric tons | -13.6% |
| 1972 | 1.34 million metric tons | -5.5% |
| 1973 | 1.35 million metric tons | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 1.65 million metric tons | +21.9% |
| 1975 | 1.21 million metric tons | -26.6% |
| 1976 | 1.31 million metric tons | +7.8% |
| 1977 | 1.72 million metric tons | +31.6% |
| 1978 | 1.93 million metric tons | +12.4% |
| 1979 | 1.96 million metric tons | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 2.17 million metric tons | +11.0% |
| 1981 | 2.27 million metric tons | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 2.19 million metric tons | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 2.53 million metric tons | +15.3% |
| 1984 | 2.47 million metric tons | -2.4% |
| 1985 | 2.70 million metric tons | +9.5% |
| 1986 | 2.64 million metric tons | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 2.18 million metric tons | -17.5% |
| 1988 | 2.52 million metric tons | +15.9% |
| 1989 | 2.10 million metric tons | -16.7% |
| 1990 | 2.58 million metric tons | +22.7% |
| 1991 | 2.43 million metric tons | -5.8% |
| 1992 | 2.37 million metric tons | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 2.61 million metric tons | +9.9% |
| 1994 | 2.72 million metric tons | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 2.85 million metric tons | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 2.10 million metric tons | -26.4% |
| 1997 | 2.27 million metric tons | +8.1% |
| 1998 | 2.73 million metric tons | +20.4% |
| 1999 | 2.89 million metric tons | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 2.90 million metric tons | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 2.73 million metric tons | -5.8% |
| 2002 | 2.89 million metric tons | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 3.11 million metric tons | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 2.67 million metric tons | -14.1% |
| 2005 | 3.29 million metric tons | +23.5% |
| 2006 | 3.40 million metric tons | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 3.19 million metric tons | -6.0% |
| 2008 | 4.02 million metric tons | +25.8% |
| 2009 | 3.79 million metric tons | -5.7% |
| 2010 | 4.47 million metric tons | +18.0% |
| 2011 | 4.04 million metric tons | -9.7% |
| 2012 | 4.05 million metric tons | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 4.84 million metric tons | +19.3% |
| 2014 | 3.63 million metric tons | -24.9% |
| 2015 | 5.06 million metric tons | +39.2% |
| 2016 | 4.67 million metric tons | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 2.58 million metric tons | -44.7% |
| 2018 | 4.21 million metric tons | +62.8% |
| 2019 | 4.84 million metric tons | +15.1% |
| 2020 | 5.44 million metric tons | +12.3% |
| 2021 | 5.63 million metric tons | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 3.66 million metric tons | -34.9% |
| 2023 | 4.74 million metric tons | +29.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 4.74 million metric tons is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.47 million metric tons, 3.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 4.74 million metric tons is below the median for South Asia, which is 7.95 million metric tons, 60% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.11 million metric tons | 795,199 metric tons | 1.41 million metric tons | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.55 million metric tons | 1.21 million metric tons | 1.96 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.38 million metric tons | 2.10 million metric tons | 2.70 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.56 million metric tons | 2.10 million metric tons | 2.89 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.20 million metric tons | 2.67 million metric tons | 4.02 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.24 million metric tons | 2.58 million metric tons | 5.06 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.87 million metric tons | 3.66 million metric tons | 5.63 million metric tons | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 57 South Korea 5.13 million metric tons compare
- 58 North Korea 4.89 million metric tons compare
- 59 Austria 4.88 million metric tons compare
- 61 Democratic Republic of Congo 4.39 million metric tons compare
- 62 Colombia 4.34 million metric tons compare
- 63 Syria 4.33 million metric tons compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal production in Sri Lanka?
- Cereal production in Sri Lanka was 4.74 million metric tons in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest cereal production recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5.63 million metric tons in 2021.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 795,199 metric tons in 1965.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for cereal production?
- Sri Lanka ranks 60th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Cereal production (metric tons). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.