Sri Lanka's economy,
explained in plain words.

The total value of everything the country produces in a year.

GDP adjusted so that a dollar buys the same amount in every country.

The economy's output divided by the number of people.

Average output per person, adjusted for local buying power.

How much bigger the economy got compared with last year.

Money foreign companies invest to build or buy businesses here.

How much foreign companies invest here each year, compared with the size of the economy.

How much of the economy is spent building for the future (factories, roads, machines).

Whether overseas investors bought more Sri Lankan shares than they sold.

All the money the government collects in a year — mostly taxes.

How much the government collects (tax and other income) relative to the economy.

What the government spends in a year, compared with the size of the economy.

Revenue minus spending. A negative number is a deficit the government must borrow to cover.

The budget balance before paying interest on past debt.

What the government owes, measured against the size of the whole economy.

The total the government owes, in rupees.

The value of what we sell abroad, relative to the economy.

The value of what we buy from abroad, relative to the economy.

Whether the country earns more from the world than it spends.

The country's savings in foreign currency, used to pay for imports and debt.

How many months of imports the reserves could pay for.

Money sent home by Sri Lankans working overseas.

How many rupees it takes to buy one US dollar.

How much prices rose compared with the same month last year.

How much prices rose across the whole country compared with the same month last year.

Average price rise over a whole calendar year. For the latest monthly rate, see CCPI inflation.

The share of people living below the national poverty line.

The share of people who want work but cannot find it.

The share of working-age people who are working or looking for work.

The share of working-age women who are working or looking for work.

How unequally income is shared: 0 = perfectly equal, 100 = one person has everything.

How many years a baby born today can expect to live, on average.

Babies who die before their first birthday, per 1,000 born.

Children who die before age five, per 1,000 born.

Mothers who die from pregnancy or childbirth, per 100,000 births.

The share of adults who can read and write.

How many people enrol in university-level study, relative to the age group.

How much the country spends on research and new ideas.

The share of people who use the internet.

Active mobile connections for every 100 people.

The share of exports that are advanced products like electronics.

The share of people with an electricity connection.

How much of our energy comes from renewable sources.

The greenhouse gas each person's activity produces, on average.

How much of the land is covered by forest.

How many wild elephants died in a year — mostly from conflict with people.

How many tuskers — rare male elephants with tusks — died in a year.