Western, North Western and Central Provinces continue to anchor Sri Lankan economy

Western province increased its share in nominal GDP to 43.4 per cent, continuously tightening the grip on the country’s economy during 2022. The strong presence of the Western province is visible in most of the economic activities, especially in Services and Industry sectors.

Thereafter, North Western (11.2 per cent) and Central (10.0 per cent) provinces recorded second and third highest shares in the economy, respectively.

The contributions to nominal GDP from Western, North Western and Uva provinces increased in 2022 compared to 2021, while that of North Central province remained unchanged. Moreover, the Nominal GDP of all the provinces grew substantially during the year, mainly attributable to the significant increase in price levels.

North Western province recorded the highest contribution to Agriculture activities with a share of 18.3 per cent, while Southern and Central provinces contributed by 14.6 per cent and 13.7 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, Western province remained the largest contributor to Industry activities, recording a share of 49.2 per cent in 2022. Further, North Western (11.8 per cent) and Central provinces (9.1 per cent) were the next major contributors to the total Industry activities.

In terms of Services activities, Western province continued its dominance with a share of 45.2 per cent, followed by Central (10.0 per cent) and North Western (9.8 per cent) provinces.

(CBSL)