Buying and selling are essential for any country to develop its economy and maintain good relations with other nations. The first table below shows top trading partners of Sri Lanka in terms of export sales (selling), including United States, United Kingdom, and Italy. The second lists top trade partners of Sri Lanka regarding import total (buying). That is, most products are imported from these countries to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Major Exports
Market Value: 6,300 (millions) – Last Updated: June, 2019
| Rank | Country (Exports To) | Trade Value (thousands) | Share (%) | Growth (% 5yr) |
| 1 | United States | 1,707,097 | 27.10 | (8.56) |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 989,501 | 15.71 | 27.38 |
| 3 | Italy | 379,954 | 6.03 | 147.48 |
| 4 | India | 349,816 | 5.55 | (9.33) |
| 5 | Germany | 318,758 | 5.06 | 17.21 |
| 6 | Belgium | 282,114 | 4.48 | 43.62 |
| 7 | United Arab Emirates | 212,154 | 3.37 | 80.41 |
| 8 | Russia | 208,745 | 3.31 | 38.55 |
| 9 | Iran | 148,638 | 2.36 | 156.54 |
| 10 | France | 135,512 | 2.15 | 34.53 |
| 11 | Japan | 117,897 | 1.87 | (23.84) |
| 12 | Netherlands | 113,742 | 1.81 | 9.24 |
| 13 | Syria | 110,885 | 1.76 | 68.16 |
| 14 | Turkey | 99,834 | 1.58 | 31.67 |
| 15 | Hong Kong | 79,165 | 1.26 | 20.58 |
| 16 | Pakistan | 60,883 | 0.97 | 55.12 |
| 17 | Singapore | 54,005 | 0.86 | (34.69) |
| 18 | Ukraine | 53,802 | 0.85 | 100.88 |
| 19 | Jordan | 49,665 | 0.79 | 58.40 |
| 20 | Thailand | 48,460 | 0.77 | 161.22 |
| 21 | Mexico | 48,071 | 0.76 | 26.11 |
| 22 | Sweden | 47,716 | 0.76 | 95.92 |
| 23 | Canada | 43,640 | 0.69 | (39.04) |
| 24 | Spain | 42,895 | 0.68 | 10.49 |
| 25 | Israel | 42,889 | 0.68 | 47.96 |
| 26 | Iraq | 40,423 | 0.64 | 272.45 |
| 27 | Switzerland | 40,190 | 0.64 | 28.98 |
| 28 | Saudi Arabia | 39,780 | 0.63 | 28.97 |
| 29 | Malaysia | 30,820 | 0.49 | 260.60 |
| 30 | Indonesia | 30,568 | 0.49 | 305.39 |
| 31 | China | 30,282 | 0.48 | 75.83 |
| 32 | Poland | 24,617 | 0.39 | 36.30 |
| 33 | Kuwait | 23,384 | 0.37 | 132.80 |
| 34 | Chile | 22,701 | 0.36 | 93.71 |
| 35 | Libya | 21,130 | 0.34 | 637.72 |
| 36 | Denmark | 20,022 | 0.32 | 77.97 |
Sri Lanka Major Imports
Market Value: 10,566 (millions) – Last Updated: June, 2019
| Rank | Country (Imports From) | Trade Value (thousands) | Share (%) | Growth (% 5yr) |
| 1 | India | 2,523,853 | 23.89 | 85.57 |
| 2 | Singapore | 1,367,042 | 12.94 | 86.55 |
| 3 | Iran | 1,194,968 | 11.31 | 158.89 |
| 4 | China | 732,019 | 6.93 | 60.97 |
| 5 | Hong Kong | 546,118 | 5.17 | (11.98) |
| 6 | United Arab Emirates | 374,327 | 3.54 | 90.32 |
| 7 | Canada | 333,010 | 3.15 | 662.91 |
| 8 | Japan | 317,187 | 3.00 | (23.07) |
| 9 | Belgium | 272,795 | 2.58 | 31.78 |
| 10 | Malaysia | 255,211 | 2.42 | (18.81) |
| 11 | New Zealand | 237,616 | 2.25 | 166.59 |
| 12 | Indonesia | 228,307 | 2.16 | 30.43 |
| 13 | Thailand | 206,991 | 1.96 | 35.87 |
| 14 | Saudi Arabia | 186,536 | 1.77 | 55.71 |
| 15 | United States | 183,023 | 1.73 | (23.88) |
| 16 | Germany | 158,754 | 1.50 | (18.37) |
| 17 | Pakistan | 155,790 | 1.47 | 44.17 |
| 18 | Italy | 149,402 | 1.41 | 9.75 |
| 19 | United Kingdom | 149,155 | 1.41 | (52.44) |
| 20 | Switzerland | 133,435 | 1.26 | 7.69 |
| 21 | France | 123,558 | 1.17 | (0.05) |
| 22 | South Korea | 111,103 | 1.05 | (54.89) |
| 23 | Sweden | 62,396 | 0.59 | (20.89) |
| 24 | Netherlands | 60,157 | 0.57 | 16.97 |
| 25 | Austria | 59,957 | 0.57 | 180.58 |
| 26 | Ukraine | 51,356 | 0.49 | 3,228.90 |
| 27 | Turkey | 48,711 | 0.46 | 162.17 |
| 28 | Qatar | 42,163 | 0.40 | 184.99 |
| 29 | Egypt | 39,980 | 0.38 | 3,031.61 |
| 30 | Israel | 32,652 | 0.31 | (21.77) |
| 31 | Poland | 24,564 | 0.23 | 419.29 |
| 32 | Chile | 22,272 | 0.21 | 36.32 |
| 33 | Finland | 18,126 | 0.17 | (72.26) |
| 34 | Spain | 16,414 | 0.16 | (0.98) |
| 35 | Belarus | 14,624 | 0.14 | NA |
| 36 | South Africa | 14,536 | 0.14 | (33.87) |