By: A Special Correspondent
July 05, Colombo (LNW): In 2025, Sri Lanka’s per capita income was estimated at US$5003. Accordingly, the World Bank has again designated the country as an upper middle income country. It appears that the country’s gross domestic product in 2025 was estimated at US$108.8 billion and the mid-year population was 21.756 million.
When examining this, the following points should be noted.
- The mid-year population used to calculate per capita income was estimated at 21.756 million in 2025. However, it was 21.916 million in 2024. Accordingly, the mid-year population in 2025 has decreased from 2024. Such an occurrence has not been reported in recent history. At the same time, according to the Central Bank report, the population at the end of 2025 has increased by 0.6% compared to 2024, and the birth rate per 1000 population in 2025 is stated to be 9.9 and the death rate is stated to be 7.9.
- Although the GDP in 2025 showed a growth of 5% in Rupees, its growth showed a growth of almost 10% in dollars. Also, the Rupee has only appreciated by less than 1% in 2025.
- The huge increase in Omissions and Errors (E&OE) value in the Balance of Payments – namely, US$ 808 million, which has never been seen in history – may be a tactic used to change these macroeconomic data as needed.