Amid the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Western Province continued to be the nerve centre of the economy while its share declined, contributing to an overall contraction.
The Western Province secured the largest share (38.0 percent) of the country’s nominal GDP.
However, due to the slowdown in economic activities due to the pandemic, the share declined by 1.0 percent compared to 2019. The Central (11.3 percent) and North Western (11.0 percent) Provinces were ranked at second and third positions.
The Provincial Gross Domestic Product (PGDP) shares increased in the North Western, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, and North Central Provinces while in the Western and the Northern Provinces, share decreases could be observed year-on-year.
All the Provinces have contributed fairly in terms of the agricultural activities ranging from 7.7 percent to 17.6 percent whereas the North Western, Southern and Central Provinces were the top contributors to the agricultural activities of the country.
The Western Province led industry activities with a contribution of 44.6 percent while the Central and North Western Provinces became the second and third largest contributors.
In terms of services activities, the Western Province recorded the highest contribution of 39.3 percent while Central and Southern Provinces had the second and third highest contributions.
Compared to the previous year, only the Sabaragamuwa Province has increased its shares across the three activities.
On the contrary, the Western Province share in all activities declined compared to the previous year while other Provinces have shown a mixed performance.
Provincial Gross Domestic Product (PGDP) has been computed by the Statistics Department of Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), using a top-down approach by disaggregating the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) compiled by the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS). In the estimation of PGDP for the Provinces, the value of each line item in GDP is apportioned using relevant indicators at the provincial level.
Service activities dominated in all the Provinces with over 50 percent contribution to the GDP. Industry activities in all Provinces are positioned next to Services activities, ranging from 15.1 percent to 30.8 percent, while Agricultural activities range from 1.8 percent to 17.0 percent across the provinces.