Sri Lanka’s expenditure on fuel imports increased by 51.5% during the first nine months of 2026 compared to the corresponding period last year, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).
The latest External Sector Performance report revealed that cumulative fuel import expenditure reached approximately US$ 4.5 billion during January–September 2026.
However, the Central Bank noted that monthly expenditure on fuel imports declined for the fifth consecutive month in September.
Despite this recent downward trend in monthly spending, the overall fuel import bill remained significantly higher than during the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s total merchandise import expenditure increased by 21.3% to US$ 18.67 billion during the first nine months of 2026, compared to US$ 15.39 billion during the corresponding period in 2025.
In September alone, total merchandise imports increased by 2.9% to US$ 2.11 billion.
The higher cumulative import expenditure contributed to a widening of Sri Lanka’s merchandise trade deficit, which reached US$ 7.91 billion during January–September 2026, compared to US$ 5.17 billion in the corresponding period last year.
However, the monthly merchandise trade deficit narrowed to US$ 731 million in September, supported by stronger export earnings. (Newswire)