Economy

Sri Lanka among countries with lowest terror threats in the world

Published

1 year ago

March 13, 2025

Sri Lanka has been named one of the countries with the lowest terror threats in the world, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025.

The 12th annual GTI report, released on Wednesday (March 5), ranked Sri Lanka 100th among 163 countries considered in the index. However, with a GTI score of zero, Sri Lanka shares the lowest spot on the index with 63 other countries.

The report indicates that Sri Lanka has significantly improved, dropping 64 spots in the index within a year, thereby lowering the risk of terror threats within the island nation.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka also shares the lowest terror threat ranking in the South Asian region with Bhutan.

In 2024, South Asia had the highest average GTI score, a position it has held for the past decade. Despite an overall deterioration in the region—driven primarily by Pakistan—terrorism has significantly declined compared to a decade ago, with all South Asian countries showing improvement.

The report attributes this improvement largely to a decline in terrorist activity in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The region is home to two of the ten countries with the worst GTI scores: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Of the seven countries in South Asia, only Bhutan and Sri Lanka have a GTI score of zero, indicating that neither country has recorded a terrorist attack in the past five years.

The surge in terrorism in the region was primarily driven by Pakistan, where regional attacks increased from 726 to 1,399 and deaths rose from 961 to 1,303. Bangladesh and Pakistan were the only two countries in the region to record a deterioration in their scores in 2024. Consequently, Pakistan ranked as the second most terrorism-affected country globally for the second consecutive year, while India was ranked 14th.

Sri Lanka was the most improved South Asian country in 2024, having recorded no terrorist attacks or deaths for the fifth consecutive year since 2019. Nepal followed as the second most improved country, recording no attacks or deaths for the second consecutive year.

Meanwhile, the Sahel region remains the epicenter of terrorism, accounting for over half of all global terrorism-related deaths, according to the report.

The GTI is produced by the international think tank, the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), and has been published annually for the past 12 years. It is the most comprehensive resource on global terrorism trends, using multiple factors to calculate scores, including the number of incidents, fatalities, injuries, and hostage situations. These factors are combined with conflict and socioeconomic data to provide a holistic picture of terrorism worldwide.

Economy

Vehicle imports generate Rs. 512.5 billion in tax revenue

Published

1 day ago

September 8, 2026

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Sri Lanka imported 316,000 vehicles during the first six months of 2026, generating Rs. 512.547 billion in tax revenue, according to officials from Sri Lanka Customs.

The figures were revealed during a review of the operations and revenue performance of Sri Lanka Customs by the Parliamentary Committee on Ways and Means.

Of the total tax revenue generated through vehicle imports, motor vehicles imports accounted for the largest share, contributing Rs. 386.726 billion.

Petrol-powered cars with engine capacities below 1,000cc emerged as the highest revenue-generating category, contributing Rs. 137.4 billion in Customs revenue. This represented 9.96% of total Customs revenue.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Customs recorded total revenue of Rs. 1.379 trillion by June 30, 2026, against an expected revenue of Rs. 1.061 trillion for the period, representing 130% of the targeted revenue.

Officials informed the committee that customs revenue had exceeded monthly targets throughout the year and had recorded higher revenue compared with the corresponding months of 2025.

Economy

Rs. 5.8bn World Bank-backed project to rehabilitate 296 irrigation tanks

Published

3 days ago

September 6, 2026

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Sri Lanka has begun rehabilitating 296 minor irrigation tanks under a World Bank-funded programme aimed at strengthening irrigation infrastructure and improving climate resilience.

More than Rs. 5.8 billion has been allocated for the work under the Integrated Rurban Development and Climate Resilience Project (IRDCRP), which is planned to continue until 2029.

Of the 296 tanks, 290 are located across 18 districts and were damaged by Cyclone Ditwah. About Rs. 5.58 billion has been allocated for their rehabilitation under the project’s Contingent Emergency Response Component.

The largest number of affected tanks is in Badulla, where 97 are being rehabilitated, followed by Ratnapura with 29, Mannar with 24 and Kurunegala with 19. Fifteen tanks each are being rehabilitated in Kandy and Vavuniya.

A further six minor irrigation tanks in Polonnaruwa, Hambantota and Jaffna are also being rehabilitated at a cost of about Rs. 256.2 million.

Economy

Sri Lanka exports to India grow 7.2% to USD 669mn in first seven months

Published

5 days ago

September 4, 2026

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Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports to India increased by 7.22% year-on-year during the first seven months of 2026, reaching US$669.36 million, according to data from the Export Development Board (EDB).

Exports to India during the January-July period rose from US$624.31 million recorded during the corresponding period of 2025.

In July alone, exports to India increased by 9.12% year-on-year to US$129.51 million, compared with US$118.69 million in July 2025.

The EDB said the cumulative growth in exports to India was mainly supported by increased shipments of boilers, piston engines, pumps and vacuum pumps, petroleum oils, animal feed and base metal products.

The growth also came amid a broader expansion in Sri Lanka’s exports to the South Asian region.

Exports to South Asian markets increased by 11.98% year-on-year to US$916.55 million during the January-July 2026 period.