Verified

External sector: October remittances hit $ 735.6 m

Sri Lanka’s workers’ remittances reached a record high of $ 735.6 million in October 2026, marking 3.31% year-on-year (YoY) increase, according to official data. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s cumulative remittances exceeded $ 7.6 billion, during the first 10 months of 2026, recording a 16.5% YoY increase and marking the strongest January–October performance in the country’s history.

According to official data, despite tourism and export earnings facing external pressures, foreign remittances remained Sri Lanka’s single largest source of foreign exchange, providing essential support to external reserves and broader macroeconomic stability.

Post-crisis recovery also followed a strong workers’ remittances performance in 2025, reaching a record $ 8.07 billion, a 23% year-on-year increase and surpassing the previous record of $ 7.24 billion set in 2016 by approximately 12%.