- Appreciation
- When a currency gains value against another.
- Balance of payments
- A record of all money flowing in and out of a country.
- Bond
- A loan to a government or company that pays interest.
- Budget
- The government's plan for spending and revenue.
- CCPI
- Colombo Consumer Price Index — the main measure of consumer prices in Sri Lanka.
- Central bank
- The institution that manages a country's money and interest rates (CBSL in Sri Lanka).
- Corruption Perceptions Index
- How clean a country's public sector is seen to be.
- CPI
- Consumer Price Index — tracks the average price of a basket of goods.
- Current account
- The balance of trade, income and transfers with the world.
- Debt-to-GDP
- Government debt measured against the size of the economy.
- Default
- Failing to repay debt as promised.
- Deflation
- A general fall in prices; the opposite of inflation.
- Depreciation
- When a currency loses value against another.
- Devaluation
- An official reduction in a currency's value.
- Economic growth
- The increase in the economy's output over time.
- Exchange rate
- How much one currency is worth in another.
- Exports
- Goods and services sold to other countries.
- External debt
- Debt owed to foreign lenders.
- FDI
- Foreign Direct Investment — when foreigners build or buy businesses here.
- Fiscal deficit
- When the government spends more than it collects in a year.
- Fiscal policy
- Government decisions on taxes and spending.
- Foreign exchange
- Foreign money used for international trade and payments.
- GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
- The total value of all goods and services a country produces in a year.
- GDP deflator
- A broad measure of prices across the whole economy.
- GDP per capita
- GDP divided by the population; a rough measure of average income.
- Gini coefficient
- A measure of income inequality from 0 (equal) to 100 (unequal).
- Governance
- How effectively and fairly a country is run.
- Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF)
- Spending on long-lasting assets like roads and machines.
- Human Development Index (HDI)
- A combined score of health, education and income.
- Imports
- Goods and services bought from other countries.
- Index (base = 100)
- A series rescaled so a chosen starting point equals 100.
- Inflation
- The rate at which prices rise over time.
- Interest rate
- The cost of borrowing money, as a percentage.
- Investment
- Spending today to produce more in the future.
- Labour force
- People who are working or actively looking for work.
- Life expectancy
- How many years a newborn can expect to live on average.
- Literacy
- The share of people who can read and write.
- Monetary policy
- Central bank actions on interest rates and the money supply.
- Nominal
- Measured at current prices, not adjusted for inflation.
- Participation rate
- The share of working-age people in the labour force.
- Per capita
- Per person.
- Policy rate
- The interest rate the central bank sets to steer the economy.
- Poverty line
- The income below which a person is considered poor.
- Primary balance
- The budget balance excluding interest payments on debt.
- Provisional
- Data that is preliminary and may be revised later.
- Public debt
- The total money a government owes.
- Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
- Adjusts values so a dollar buys the same amount in every country.
- Real
- Adjusted for inflation, so changes reflect real quantities.
- Real wage
- Wages adjusted for inflation — what your pay can actually buy.
- Recession
- A period when the economy shrinks for two or more quarters.
- Remittances
- Money sent home by people working abroad.
- Renewable energy
- Energy from sources that do not run out, like sun, wind and hydro.
- Reserves
- A country's savings in foreign currency and gold.
- Revision
- An update to a previously published figure.
- Subsidy
- Government support that lowers the price of something.
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- 17 UN goals for a better world by 2030.
- Tariff
- A tax on imported goods.
- Trade balance
- The difference between exports and imports.
- Treasury bill
- A short-term government debt security.
- Unemployment
- The share of people who want work but cannot find it.