WP’s contribution to GDP shrinks by 1 per cent in 2020

Amidst outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Western province continued to be the nerve center of the economy whilst its share declined, contributing to an overall contraction.

Western province secured the largest share (38.0 per cent) of the country’s nominal GDP. However, due to slow down in economic activities due to the pandemic situation, the share declined by 1.0 per cent from 2019. Central (11.3 per cent) and North Western (11.0 per cent) provinces were ranked at second and third positions, respectively.

PGDP shares increased in North Western, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, and North Central provinces while in Western and Northern provinces, share decreases could be observed year-on-year.

Activity-wise Performance

Provincial Contribution to Economic Activities

All the provinces have contributed fairly in terms of the Agricultural activities ranging from 7.7 per cent to 17.6 per cent whereas North Western, Southern and Central provinces were the top contributors to the Agricultural activities of the country.

Western province has pioneered in the Industry activities with a contribution of 44.6 per cent while Central and North Western provinces became second and third largest contributors.

In terms of Services activities, Western province recorded the highest contribution of 39.3 per cent while Central and Southern provinces had the second and third highest contributions.

Compared to the previous year, only Sabaragamuwa province has increased its shares across the three activities. On contrary, Western province shares in all the activities have declined from the previous year while other provinces have shown a mixed performance.

Economic Activities within Provinces

Services activities have dominated in all the provinces with over 50 per cent contribution to the GDP. Industry activities in all provinces are positioned next to the Services activities, ranging from 15.1 per cent to 30.8 per cent, while Agricultural activities range from 1.8 per cent to 17.0 per cent across the provinces.