Sri Lanka Public Debt Intelligence
Track how Sri Lanka's debt changed over time, where the debt came from, how much it cost, and what happened during restructuring (1995–2026).
Mandatory Institutional Context
IMPORTANT: Government debt is cumulative. Outstanding public debt in any given year includes borrowing accumulated across all prior administrations. Inheriting existing debt is distinct from issuing new net borrowings.
Equivalent to US$ 104.2 Billion•USD/LKR ~301.8
Sri Lanka Borrowing & Loan Intelligence
Explore how much Sri Lanka borrowed, from whom, when, for what purpose, under what terms, how much has been repaid, and how much remains outstanding with loan-by-loan contractual records.
Historical Debt Trajectory (1995–2026)
Toggle currencies, view domestic vs external composition, and inspect administration period overlays.
Total debt stabilized at 104.2% of GDP with fiscal primary surplus maintained at 2.3% of GDP.
Government Administration Debt Comparison Tool
Compare borrowing trajectories across different political administrations with inherited context.
Mahinda Rajapaksa Administration
2005–2015Inherited post-Tsunami debt stock and launched commercial ISBs and mega infrastructure programs post-2009.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Administration
2019–2022Faced 2019 tax policy revenue shock, COVID-19 pandemic, reserve depletion, and foreign exchange depreciation triggering sovereign default.
External Creditor Breakdown & Profiles
Explore who holds Sri Lanka's $37+ Billion external public debt portfolio.
China Exim Bank & China Development Bank (CDB)
Interest Rates: 2.0% - 6.5% (Concessional & Commercial mix)
Maturity Window: 2026 - 2042
Grace Period: 5 Years
2022–2026 Sovereign Debt Restructuring Tracker
Chronological log of default, IMF EFF approval, Domestic Debt Optimization (DDO), Official Creditor Committee MoUs, and Macro-Linked Bond exchange.
- Annual Debt Service Obligations: US$ 6.0B+ per year
- Interest-to-Revenue Ratio: 78.4% of total state revenue
- Commercial ISB Weighted Coupon: 6.8% - 7.8% USD
- Gross Financing Needs (GFN): 34.6% of GDP
- Commercial Bond Haircut: ~27% Nominal Haircut on ISB Principal
- Bilateral Debt Relief: $5.9B debt service deferred to 2028+
- Interest-to-Revenue Ratio: Reduced to 48.4% (2026 Target)
- Gross Financing Needs (GFN): Targeted below 13% of GDP
Interim Suspension of External Public Debt Servicing (Sovereign Default)
Unilateral standstill on $36B external public debt to preserve foreign currency for essential imports (fuel, food, medicine).
IMF Executive Board Approves 48-Month $3.0 Billion EFF Arrangement
Provided macro-stabilization framework mandating public debt-to-GDP reduction target below 95% by 2032.
Parliament Passes Domestic Debt Optimization (DDO) Resolution
Exchanged Rs. 3.2 Trillion high-yielding T-bonds into longer maturity 12% coupon bonds, lowering annual domestic debt service.
Bilateral Debt Treatment MoUs Signed with OCC & China Exim Bank
Deferred principal repayments until 2028 and reduced interest rates, yielding $5.9B debt service relief during 2023-2027 program period.
Commercial Bondholder Exchange Executed into Macro-Linked Bonds (MLBs)
Achieved ~27% nominal principal haircut with baseline interest rates reduced to 4.5%-6.0%, linked to GDP growth trajectory.
"Follow One Loan" Project Trace
Trace sovereign loans directly from creditor agreement to implementing ministry, project assets, and COPA/Auditor General queries.
Southern Expressway Construction Loan Phase 1 & 2
Construction of 126km E01 Southern Expressway connecting Kottawa to Galle & Matara.
Citizen Per-Capita Debt Calculator
Calculate your household's statistical share of Sri Lanka's cumulative public debt stock.
Based on 2026 public debt stock of Rs. 31.45 Trillion divided by 22.2M population.
Citizen Notice: Per-capita debt is an illustrative statistical metric. Individual citizens are not personally liable for debt collection; public debt is serviced out of state revenues, tax collections, and economic growth.
Year-by-Year Public Debt Records (1995–2026)
Search, sort, and download complete annual debt ledgers verified against Central Bank & Treasury reports.
Year | Total Debt (LKR B) | USD Equivalent | Debt/GDP % | Domestic / External | Administration | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Rs. 31,450 B | $104.2 B | 104.2% | 58% / 42% | Anura Kumara Dissanayake | Details |
| 2025 | Rs. 30,950 B | $102.8 B | 105.8% | 57.8% / 42.2% | Anura Kumara Dissanayake | Details |
| 2024 | Rs. 30,120 B | $100.4 B | 108.5% | 57.9% / 42.1% | Anura Kumara Dissanayake | Details |
| 2023 | Rs. 28,680.5 B | $88.5 B | 114.2% | 57.2% / 42.8% | Ranil Wickremesinghe | Details |
| 2022 | Rs. 27,492.3 B | $75.3 B | 128.1% | 54.7% / 45.3% | Ranil Wickremesinghe | Details |
| 2021 | Rs. 17,589.4 B | $87.5 B | 104% | 53.7% / 46.3% | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Details |
| 2020 | Rs. 15,117.2 B | $81.1 B | 100.6% | 53.3% / 46.7% | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Details |
| 2019 | Rs. 13,031.5 B | $71.9 B | 86.8% | 50.8% / 49.2% | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Details |
| 2018 | Rs. 11,983.4 B | $65.8 B | 83.7% | 50.3% / 49.7% | Maithripala Sirisena | Details |
| 2015 | Rs. 8,503.2 B | $59.1 B | 71.3% | 58.3% / 41.7% | Maithripala Sirisena | Details |
| 2012 | Rs. 6,000.1 B | $47 B | 79.2% | 56.5% / 43.5% | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Details |
| 2009 | Rs. 4,161.4 B | $36.2 B | 86.2% | 55.5% / 44.5% | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Details |
| 2007 | Rs. 3,041.8 B | $27.9 B | 85% | 56.3% / 43.7% | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Details |
| 2005 | Rs. 2,222.3 B | $22.1 B | 90.6% | 55.4% / 44.6% | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Details |
| 2001 | Rs. 1,452.8 B | $16.2 B | 103.3% | 54% / 46% | Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga | Details |
| 1998 | Rs. 912.4 B | $14.1 B | 89.6% | 50% / 50% | Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga | Details |
| 1995 | Rs. 579.1 B | $11.3 B | 71.3% | 46.7% / 53.3% | Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga | Details |
Need Deep Contract-Level Primary Sources?
All data points presented on LankaScope Debt Intelligence are ingested from published Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) reports, Ministry of Finance (MoF) Debt Bulletins, and IMF EFF Review disclosures.