Government revenue (LKR)
All the money the government collects in a year — mostly taxes.
Source: International Monetary Fund · As of 2026 · Provisional · View source
Chart of Government revenue (LKR) over time. 0.21 LKR tn (2000) → 5.76 LKR tn (2026).
Table
| Period | LKR tn |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.21 |
| 2001 | 0.24 |
| 2002 | 0.27 |
| 2003 | 0.28 |
| 2004 | 0.32 |
| 2005 | 0.41 |
| 2006 | 0.51 |
| 2007 | 0.60 |
| 2008 | 0.69 |
| 2009 | 0.73 |
| 2010 | 0.83 |
| 2011 | 0.98 |
| 2012 | 1.07 |
| 2013 | 1.15 |
| 2014 | 1.20 |
| 2015 | 1.46 |
| 2016 | 1.69 |
| 2017 | 1.84 |
| 2018 | 1.93 |
| 2019 | 1.90 |
| 2020 | 1.37 |
| 2021 | 1.46 |
| 2022 | 2.01 |
| 2023 | 3.07 |
| 2024 | 4.09 |
| 2025 | 5.49 |
| 2026 | 5.76* |
Sri Lanka's current situation
Government revenue was 5.76 LKR tn in 2026, 0.28 LKR tn compared with a year earlier.
What is it?
Government revenue is everything the general government receives in a year: taxes (VAT, income tax, customs and excise duties), plus fees, grants and other income. It pays for schools, hospitals, roads, salaries and interest on debt.
A simple example
If the government collects Rs 5.5 trillion in a year and Sri Lanka has about 22 million people, that is roughly Rs 250,000 per person.
What happens when it is high
Rising revenue gives the government room to fund services and repay debt without new borrowing. Sharp tax rises can, however, squeeze household budgets and business investment in the short run.
What happens when it is low
Weak revenue forces cuts in services or more borrowing. Sri Lanka's revenue fell to about 8% of GDP in 2021–22 after tax cuts — among the lowest in the world — which fed the 2022 crisis.
What is a healthy range
Rupee totals grow with prices, so judge them against GDP (see "Government revenue, % of GDP"). No rating is applied to the rupee level.
What might happen next
Official projections
| Source | Year | LKR tn |
|---|---|---|
| International Monetary Fund | 2027 | 6.12 |
| International Monetary Fund | 2028 | 6.65 |
| International Monetary Fund | 2029 | 7.20 |
| International Monetary Fund | 2030 | 7.82 |
| International Monetary Fund | 2031 | 8.53 |
Simple statistical trend
No data yet
Upside: tax reforms, better collection and growth raise revenue. Downside: tax cuts, exemptions or a slowdown reduce it. Not financial advice.
A simple statistical trend, not a prediction of what will happen. Forecasts are uncertain and are not financial advice.
For experts
Revenue decides whether the government can pay its bills without borrowing — central to recovering from the 2022 crisis.
How we calculate this
General government revenue, national currency (IMF World Economic Outlook, code GGR), full units, shown in LKR trillion. The latest year is an IMF estimate.