Share of primary energy from coal in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of primary energy from coal was 15.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of primary energy from coal in Sri Lanka, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of primary energy from coal in Sri Lanka is 15.2%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 15.3% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary energy from coal in Sri Lanka peaked at 21.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1965.
That places Sri Lanka 23rd out of 79 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of primary energy from coal in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.0% | — |
| 1966 | 0.0% | — |
| 1967 | 0.0% | — |
| 1968 | 0.0% | — |
| 1969 | 0.0% | — |
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1971 | 0.0% | — |
| 1972 | 0.0% | — |
| 1973 | 0.0% | — |
| 1974 | 0.0% | — |
| 1975 | 0.0% | — |
| 1976 | 0.0% | — |
| 1977 | 0.2% | +433.1% |
| 1978 | 0.2% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | -38.1% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +33.7% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -47.1% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | +1189.1% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 1.7% | +95.8% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | -33.4% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -64.1% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | -13.1% |
| 1988 | 0.2% | -46.2% |
| 1989 | 0.0% | -87.7% |
| 1990 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1991 | 0.0% | — |
| 1992 | 0.0% | -9.9% |
| 1993 | 0.0% | -35.1% |
| 1994 | 0.0% | -16.9% |
| 1995 | 0.0% | +170.1% |
| 1996 | 0.0% | -81.9% |
| 1997 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | — |
| 1999 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2000 | 0.0% | — |
| 2001 | 0.0% | -73.3% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | +11639.5% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | +444.4% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -73.2% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | +221.9% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -28.1% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | -6.4% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | +44.8% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 5.2% | +340.8% |
| 2012 | 7.4% | +42.7% |
| 2013 | 8.3% | +13.2% |
| 2014 | 13.8% | +65.3% |
| 2015 | 17.9% | +29.7% |
| 2016 | 16.4% | -8.4% |
| 2017 | 16.0% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 15.2% | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 15.7% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 21.1% | +33.9% |
| 2021 | 20.4% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 20.1% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 16.8% | -16.4% |
| 2024 | 17.9% | +6.5% |
| 2025 | 15.2% | -15.3% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 15.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.9%, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of primary energy from coal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +11639.5% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 1982 | +1189.1% | 0.1% | 0.9% |
| 2003 | +444.4% | 0.3% | 1.4% |
| 1977 | +433.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | +340.8% | 1.2% | 5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 5 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.0% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.7% | 1.2% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.6% | 15.2% | 21.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More energy & mining data for Sri Lanka
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 4.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 21.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary energy from coal in Sri Lanka?
- Share of primary energy from coal in Sri Lanka was 15.2% in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary energy from coal recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of primary energy from coal recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1965.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of primary energy from coal?
- Sri Lanka ranks 23rd out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of primary energy from coal rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary energy from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.