Air transport, freight (million ton-km) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Air transport, freight (million ton-km) was 278.5 million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Air transport, freight in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
In 2023, air transport, freight in Sri Lanka stood at 278.5 million ton-km.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.5% on the previous year and down 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, air transport, freight in Sri Lanka peaked at 436.2 million ton-km in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.5 million ton-km, in 1978.
Sri Lanka ranks 49th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Air transport, freight (million ton-km) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.8 million ton-km | — |
| 1971 | 1.9 million ton-km | +5.6% |
| 1972 | 3.5 million ton-km | +84.2% |
| 1973 | 2.9 million ton-km | -17.1% |
| 1974 | 2.6 million ton-km | -10.3% |
| 1975 | 2 million ton-km | -23.1% |
| 1976 | 2.4 million ton-km | +20.0% |
| 1977 | 2.2 million ton-km | -8.3% |
| 1978 | 0.5 million ton-km | -77.3% |
| 1979 | 1.8 million ton-km | +260.0% |
| 1980 | 9.7 million ton-km | +438.9% |
| 1981 | 26.8 million ton-km | +176.3% |
| 1982 | 39.8 million ton-km | +48.5% |
| 1983 | 44.6 million ton-km | +12.1% |
| 1984 | 59.6 million ton-km | +33.6% |
| 1985 | 67.6 million ton-km | +13.4% |
| 1986 | 54.7 million ton-km | -19.1% |
| 1987 | 49.1 million ton-km | -10.2% |
| 1988 | 61.7 million ton-km | +25.7% |
| 1989 | 75.4 million ton-km | +22.2% |
| 1990 | 93.4 million ton-km | +23.9% |
| 1991 | 100.7 million ton-km | +7.8% |
| 1992 | 109.8 million ton-km | +9.0% |
| 1993 | 104.4 million ton-km | -4.9% |
| 1994 | 109.9 million ton-km | +5.3% |
| 1995 | 156 million ton-km | +41.9% |
| 1996 | 158.6 million ton-km | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 173.9 million ton-km | +9.6% |
| 1998 | 156.5 million ton-km | -10.0% |
| 1999 | 179.2 million ton-km | +14.5% |
| 2000 | 255.71 million ton-km | +42.7% |
| 2001 | 217.57 million ton-km | -14.9% |
| 2002 | 203.13 million ton-km | -6.6% |
| 2003 | 238.01 million ton-km | +17.2% |
| 2004 | 312.63 million ton-km | +31.4% |
| 2005 | 310.36 million ton-km | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 325.41 million ton-km | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 343.64 million ton-km | +5.6% |
| 2008 | 331.46 million ton-km | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 279 million ton-km | -15.8% |
| 2010 | 339.05 million ton-km | +21.5% |
| 2011 | 364.5 million ton-km | +7.5% |
| 2012 | 405.42 million ton-km | +11.2% |
| 2013 | 385.12 million ton-km | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 384.71 million ton-km | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 381.63 million ton-km | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 403.08 million ton-km | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 398.47 million ton-km | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 436.2 million ton-km | +9.5% |
| 2019 | 394.05 million ton-km | -9.7% |
| 2020 | 226.48 million ton-km | -42.5% |
| 2021 | 412.48 million ton-km | +82.1% |
| 2022 | 314.75 million ton-km | -23.7% |
| 2023 | 278.5 million ton-km | -11.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 278.5 million ton-km is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 25.07 million ton-km, 11.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 278.5 million ton-km is above the median for South Asia, which is 64.15 million ton-km, 4.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Air transport, freight (million ton-km) in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +438.9% | 1.8 million ton-km | 9.7 million ton-km |
| 1979 | +260.0% | 0.5 million ton-km | 1.8 million ton-km |
| 1981 | +176.3% | 9.7 million ton-km | 26.8 million ton-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.16 million ton-km | 0.5 million ton-km | 3.5 million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 48.9 million ton-km | 9.7 million ton-km | 75.4 million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 134.24 million ton-km | 93.4 million ton-km | 179.2 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 281.69 million ton-km | 203.13 million ton-km | 343.64 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 389.22 million ton-km | 339.05 million ton-km | 436.2 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 308.05 million ton-km | 226.48 million ton-km | 412.48 million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More infrastructure data for Sri Lanka
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 30.62 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 132.55 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 1.58 million (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 6.85 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0722 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -7.33 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 1.58 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.4 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is air transport, freight in Sri Lanka?
- Air transport, freight in Sri Lanka was 278.5 million ton-km in 2023, according to Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
- What is the highest air transport, freight recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 436.2 million ton-km in 2018.
- What is the lowest air transport, freight recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5 million ton-km in 1978.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for air transport, freight?
- Sri Lanka ranks 49th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is air transport, freight rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), published as part of Air transport, freight (million ton-km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tons times kilometers traveled.