Sri Lanka - Expense (% of GDP)

Expense (% of GDP) in Sri Lanka was 16.89 as of 2019. Its highest value over the past 29 years was 25.95 in 1995, while its lowest value was 14.67 in 2013.

Definition: Expense is cash payments for operating activities of the government in providing goods and services. It includes compensation of employees (such as wages and salaries), interest and subsidies, grants, social benefits, and other expenses such as rent and dividends.

Source: International Monetary Fund, Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, and World Bank and OECD GDP estimates.

See also:

Year Value
1990 24.64
1991 25.51
1992 23.98
1993 22.84
1994 24.30
1995 25.95
1996 24.98
1997 22.83
1998 21.76
1999 21.22
2000 22.99
2001 23.81
2002 22.91
2003 20.48
2004 20.71
2005 20.20
2006 21.15
2007 20.05
2008 19.21
2009 20.96
2010 16.85
2011 16.17
2012 15.51
2013 14.67
2014 14.77
2015 18.05
2016 16.73
2017 16.55
2018 16.42
2019 16.89

Limitations and Exceptions: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Despite IMF efforts to standardize data collection, statistics are often incomplete, untimely, and not comparable across countries.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The IMF's Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014, harmonized with the 2008 SNA, recommends an accrual accounting method, focusing on all economic events affecting assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, not just those represented by cash transactions. It accounts for all changes in stocks, so stock data at the end of an accounting period equal stock data at the beginning of the period plus flows over the period. The 1986 manual considered only debt stocks. Government finance statistics are reported in local currency. Many countries report government finance data by fiscal year; see country metadata for information on fiscal year end by country.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Public Sector Indicators

Sub-Topic: Government finance