Sri Lanka’s garment export earnings fell 7.4% in August 2026 compared with the same month a year earlier, according to export data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Garment export revenue stood at $469.6 million in August 2025 but declined to $434.8 million in August 2026, representing a reduction of $34.8 million over the year. The figures show a continued decline in earnings from one of Sri Lanka’s principal foreign exchange-generating sectors.
For the first eight months of 2026, garment exports generated $3,108.3 million, compared with $3,318.1 million during the corresponding period of 2025. This represents a decline of about 6.3%, with earnings down by approximately $209.8 million over the eight-month period.
The decline was also recorded across the wider textile and apparel export sector. Total textile and apparel export earnings fell 8.4% in August compared with August 2025. Between January and August, the sector recorded a 6.7% decline from the corresponding period of the previous year.
The Central Bank data therefore indicate that the contraction in apparel earnings has extended beyond the single month of August. While the monthly decline was 7.4% for garments, the cumulative decline for the first eight months was about 6.3%, showing that export earnings remained below the level recorded during the same period in 2025.
Garments form a major component of Sri Lanka’s export earnings and are an important source of foreign exchange for the country. The latest figures show that the sector has faced a challenging period during the first eight months of 2026, with both garment exports and the broader textile and apparel category recording lower earnings than a year earlier.
In August alone, the decline in total textile and apparel earnings was greater than the fall recorded specifically for garments, at 8.4% compared with 7.4%. For the January-August period, the wider sector also registered a 6.7% decline, compared with the 6.3% reduction in garment export revenue.
The figures released by the Central Bank provide the latest indication of the performance of Sri Lanka’s apparel export sector in 2026. Garment earnings for January-August stood at $3.1083 billion, compared with $3.3181 billion in the same eight-month period of 2025.
