Sri Lanka’s IT/BPO export earnings drop 15.5% in 2026
Sri Lanka’s earnings from computer and IT/BPO services declined by 15.5% during the first nine months of 2026, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).
The latest External Sector Performance report showed that earnings from computer and IT/BPO services fell to US$ 524.9 million during January–September 2026, compared to US$ 621 million during the corresponding period last year.
In September alone, earnings from the sector declined by 7.2% to US$ 65 million, compared to US$ 70 million in September 2025.
The decline comes despite an overall increase in Sri Lanka’s services export earnings during September.
According to the Central Bank, total services inflows increased by 11.2% to US$ 559.5 million during the month, compared to US$ 503.1 million a year earlier.
However, cumulative services inflows declined marginally by 0.6% to US$ 5.26 billion during January–September.
Meanwhile, earnings from sea and air transport services increased by 46.3% to US$ 199 million in September.
The Central Bank reported that Sri Lanka’s overall services account surplus declined by 22.3% to US$ 2.21 billion during the first nine months of 2026. (Newswire)
