Sri Lanka’s expenditure on motor vehicle imports declined by 34.4% in September 2026 compared to the same month last year, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).
The latest External Sector Performance report showed that expenditure on motor vehicle imports, including personal and commercial vehicles, amounted to US$ 188 million in September.
The decline marks a significant reduction in monthly vehicle import expenditure compared to September 2025.
However, despite the September decline, Sri Lanka spent a total of US$ 1.87 billion on vehicle imports during the first nine months of 2026.
Meanwhile, overall merchandise import expenditure increased by 2.9% to US$ 2.11 billion in September, compared to US$ 2.05 billion during the same month last year.
Total import expenditure during January–September 2026 reached US$ 18.67 billion, an increase of 21.3% compared to the corresponding period in 2025.
The Central Bank also reported that Sri Lanka’s merchandise trade deficit narrowed to US$ 731 million in September, compared to US$ 910 million in September 2025.
However, the cumulative trade deficit widened to US$ 7.9 billion during the first nine months of the year. (Newswire)