Government spending (% of GDP)
What the government spends in a year, compared with the size of the economy.
Source: International Monetary Fund · As of 2026 · Provisional · View source
Chart of Government spending (% of GDP) over time. 21.7 % of GDP (2000) → 20.2 % of GDP (2026).
Table
| Period | % of GDP |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 21.7 |
| 2001 | 22.4 |
| 2002 | 20.8 |
| 2003 | 19.3 |
| 2004 | 19.3 |
| 2005 | 20.1 |
| 2006 | 20.5 |
| 2007 | 19.9 |
| 2008 | 19.1 |
| 2009 | 21.0 |
| 2010 | 19.3 |
| 2011 | 19.1 |
| 2012 | 17.3 |
| 2013 | 16.6 |
| 2014 | 17.2 |
| 2015 | 19.3 |
| 2016 | 18.2 |
| 2017 | 17.9 |
| 2018 | 17.5 |
| 2019 | 19.5 |
| 2020 | 22.1 |
| 2021 | 20.0 |
| 2022 | 18.6 |
| 2023 | 19.5 |
| 2024 | 19.0 |
| 2025 | 19.0 |
| 2026 | 20.2* |
Sri Lanka's current situation
Government spending was 20.2 % of GDP in 2026, 1.1 % of GDP compared with a year earlier.
What is it?
Total general government spending — salaries, pensions, welfare, subsidies, interest payments and investment — as a share of GDP. A large part of Sri Lanka's spending goes on interest on past debt.
A simple example
If the economy produces Rs 100 and the government spends Rs 20, spending is 20% of GDP.
What happens when it is high
High spending can support services and growth, but if it outpaces revenue it adds to debt, and heavy interest costs crowd out schools and hospitals.
What happens when it is low
Very low spending can mean under-investment in health, education and infrastructure.
What is a healthy range
There is no single right level; what matters is that spending is covered by revenue over time. No rating is applied.
What might happen next
Official projections
| Source | Year | % of GDP |
|---|---|---|
| International Monetary Fund | 2027 | 18.8 |
| International Monetary Fund | 2028 | 18.9 |
| International Monetary Fund | 2029 | 18.8 |
| International Monetary Fund | 2030 | 18.7 |
| International Monetary Fund | 2031 | 18.6 |
Simple statistical trend
No data yet
Spending pressure: interest costs, public-sector wages and welfare. Restraint: programme targets under the IMF Extended Fund Facility. Not financial advice.
A simple statistical trend, not a prediction of what will happen. Forecasts are uncertain and are not financial advice.
For experts
Spending versus revenue sets the deficit, and the deficit sets how fast debt grows.
How we calculate this
General government total expenditure, % of GDP (IMF WEO, code GGX_NGDP). Annual; the latest year is an IMF estimate.