Sri Lanka closes 2025 with record high remittances

• December sets monthly record at US$ 879mn; annual earnings hit US$ 8.1bn

Sri Lanka recorded US$ 879.1 million in foreign currency inflows in December 2025, marking the highest monthly remittance income the country has ever registered. 

This historic inflow was driven by migrant workers sending record volumes of funds back home during the festive month, a trend likely amplified by the urgent need to support families grappling with the devastation caused by the recent floods.

This performance represents a sharp increase from the US$ 613.8 million recorded in December 2024 and a significant acceleration from the US$ 673.4 million received in November 2025. 

The December surge propelled the total annual foreign inflows to an unprecedented US$ 8,076.2 million, reflecting a robust 22.8 percent growth year-on-year. This figure comfortably surpasses the country’s previous highest annual remittance record set in 2017, when inflows totaled US$ 7,164 million.

The robust remittance inflows have been instrumental in ensuring external sector stability, providing a cushion against higher import costs and helping to contain currency volatility to just 5 percent. Ultimately, the rupee depreciated by 5.5 percent in 2025, a stabilisation following the significant appreciation of approximately 23 percent observed across 2023 and 2024.