Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita was 8.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka, 1960–2025
Source: National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 8.4% for agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka peaked at 33.5% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 86th out of 203 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 32.1% | — |
| 1961 | 32.9% | +2.5% |
| 1962 | 31.1% | -5.5% |
| 1963 | 32.3% | +4.0% |
| 1964 | 31.0% | -4.3% |
| 1965 | 28.6% | -7.7% |
| 1966 | 28.7% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 30.1% | +4.9% |
| 1968 | 31.6% | +5.2% |
| 1969 | 29.3% | -7.3% |
| 1970 | 28.8% | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 27.5% | -4.3% |
| 1972 | 26.7% | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 27.7% | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 33.5% | +21.2% |
| 1975 | 30.6% | -8.6% |
| 1976 | 29.3% | -4.3% |
| 1977 | 31.0% | +5.7% |
| 1978 | 30.8% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 27.2% | -11.5% |
| 1980 | 27.8% | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 28.0% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 26.6% | -4.9% |
| 1983 | 28.5% | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 28.9% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 28.1% | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 27.5% | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 27.3% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 26.7% | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 26.0% | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 26.7% | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 27.1% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 26.1% | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 24.9% | -4.8% |
| 1994 | 24.0% | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 23.1% | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 22.5% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 21.9% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 21.2% | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 20.7% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 19.9% | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 20.1% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 14.3% | -28.8% |
| 2003 | 13.2% | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 12.5% | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 11.8% | -5.8% |
| 2006 | 11.3% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 11.7% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 13.4% | +14.5% |
| 2009 | 12.7% | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 9.0% | -28.7% |
| 2011 | 9.5% | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 7.9% | -17.0% |
| 2013 | 7.9% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 8.1% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 8.2% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 7.3% | -11.6% |
| 2017 | 7.4% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 7.6% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 7.3% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 8.3% | +13.7% |
| 2021 | 8.8% | +6.5% |
| 2022 | 8.4% | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 8.0% | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 8.4% | +4.1% |
| 2025 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 8.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.8%, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 8.4% is below the median for South Asia, which is 12.6%, 67% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.8% | 28.6% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 29.3% | 26.7% | 33.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.5% | 26.0% | 28.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.8% | 20.7% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.1% | 11.3% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.0% | 7.3% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.4% | 8.0% | 8.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
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)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
- Rural population 79.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka?
- Agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka was 8.4% in 2025, according to National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 33.5% in 1974.
- What is the lowest agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Sri Lanka ranks 86th out of 203 countries with data for 2025.
- Is agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Agriculture includes the cultivation of crops and livestock production, as well as forestry, hunting, and fishing. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.