Sri Lanka’s Gross Official Reserves Record Steady Growth into 2026

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Gross Official Reserves (GOR) increased to USD 7.3 billion by the end of February 2026, reflecting a continued strengthening of the country’s external buffers, according to data presented in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s Monetary Policy Review.

The reserve build-up marks a steady improvement over recent years. Gross official reserves stood at USD 5.7 billion in 2020, before declining to USD 3.1 billion in 2021 and USD 1.9 billion in 2022 amid severe balance of payments pressures. Reserves began to recover in 2023, rising to USD 4.4 billion, followed by a further increase to USD 6.1 billion in 2024 and USD 6.8 billion in 2025, culminating in USD 7.3 billion as at end-February 2026.

The increase in reserves has been supported in part by sustained net foreign exchange purchases by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Data on annual net FX purchases show a modest positive inflow of USD 0.3 billion in 2020, followed by net sales of USD 0.8 billion in 2021 and USD 0.6 billion in 2022 during the height of the economic crisis.

This trend reversed in 2023, with the Central Bank recording net FX purchases of USD 1.7 billion, which further increased to USD 2.8 billion in 2024. In 2025, net purchases stood at USD 2.0 billion, while USD 0.7 billion was recorded during the January–February 2026 period alone.

The steady accumulation of reserves highlights improved foreign exchange inflows and continued market-based operations by the Central Bank, helping reinforce confidence in Sri Lanka’s external position.