Sri Lanka’s trade deficit widened to $1.38 billion in April 2026, the largest gap since records began in 2002 and up 27% from a year earlier.
Goods imports surged 45.7% year-on-year to $2.46 billion, driven by a 149.9% jump in fuel imports to $886 million amid soaring global oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict and higher import volumes.
Motor vehicle imports also totaled $208 million.
Meanwhile, exports increased 10.9% to $1.07 billion.
In the first four months of 2026, the trade deficit widened to $3.7 billion from $2.3 billion in the same period of 2025.
