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EXTERNAL • MonthlyUpdated: 2026-08-10
Official Gross Foreign Reserves
නිල දළ විදේශ සංචිත • உத்தியோகபூர்வ மொத்த வெளிநாட்டு இருப்பு
Current Observation
6.2 USD Billion
YoY Trajectory
+1.4 USD Billion
Policy Target Context
Higher value is generally positive
Historical Time Series (1995–2026)
Citizen Plain-Language Guide & Sri Lanka Context
What does this metric measure?
Foreign reserves are the country's national savings in convertible foreign currencies (USD, EUR, Gold) to pay for imports and debt.
Why does this matter to ordinary citizens?
Reserves ensure the country can import fuel, food, medicine, and avoid currency collapse. 3+ months of import cover is standard.
Sri Lanka's 1995–2026 Experience
Reserves depleted from $7.6B in late 2019 to less than $20M usable in April 2022, triggering default. Rebuilt to over $6B by mid-2026 via export growth, tourism, remittances, and CBSL net FX purchases.
Historical Observations Table
| Period / Year | Value (USD Billion) | Source Tier |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2.1 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2000 | 1 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2005 | 2.7 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2009 | 5.4 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2011 | 7.2 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2014 | 8.2 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2017 | 8 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2018 | 6.9 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2019 | 7.6 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2020 | 5.7 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2021 | 3.1 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2022 | 1.9 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2023 | 4.4 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2024 | 5.4 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2025 | 5.8 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |
| 2026 Jul | 6.2 | ✓ CBSL Official Record |