The Western province maintained its position as the primary contributor to Sri Lanka's economy in 2022, strengthening its prominence by elevating its share in the nominal GDP from 42.6 percent in 2021 to 43.4 percent.
The Central Bank's latest Provincial Gross Domestic Product (PGDP) estimates, released yesterday, underscore the Western province's robust presence across various economic activities, particularly in the services and industry sectors.
The North Western province emerged as the second-largest contributor, accounting for 11.2 percent of the economy, followed closely by the Central province at 10.0 percent. Notably, the contributions to nominal GDP from the Western, North Western, and Uva provinces saw an increase in 2022 compared to 2021, while that of the North Central province remained unchanged. This overall growth is attributed to a substantial increase in price levels throughout the year.
In terms of agriculture activities, the North Western province took the lead with a significant 18.3 percent share, while the Southern and Central provinces contributed 14.6 percent and 13.7 percent, respectively. The Western province maintained its dominance in industry activities, recording a substantial 49.2 percent share in 2022. The North Western and Central provinces were the next major contributors to total industry activities.
The services sector continued to be dominated by the Western province, claiming a 45.2 percent share, followed by the Central and North Western provinces at 10.0 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. Service activities played a pivotal role in the economies of all provinces, with the Southern and Western provinces recording the highest service shares at 59.9 percent and 58.5 percent, respectively.
Furthermore, the Western province exhibited the highest concentration in industry activities at 34.4 percent, followed by the North Western province at 32.0 percent. Meanwhile, the Eastern and Uva provinces showed higher contributions to agriculture activities compared to other regions at 17.2 percent and 15.5 percent, respectively. The provincial distribution of economic activities underscores the diverse and dynamic nature of Sri Lanka's economic landscape.
