Colombo: Sri Lanka's overall economic growth in 2022 was minus 11 per cent and it could be - 3.5 to - 4 per cent this year, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday, as the island nation tried hard to overcome its worst economic crisis since independence. Wickremesinghe, who also holds the finance ministry portfolio, said that 2022 overall economic growth was larger than the expected at - 8 per cent and in 2023 the growth rate could hover somewhere around - 3.5 per cent to - 4 per cent.
The growth rate of the economy in 2022 was - 11 per cent. It could be - 3.5 to - 4 per cent this year, Wickremesinghe told a gathering in the north central district of Anuradhapura. During mid 2022 Sri Lanka faced the worst economic crisis which led to months long public protests leading to a political crisis.
Shortages of essentials due to the forex crisis forced people onto the streets demanding the resignation of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Last year in April, Sri Lanka declared its first-ever debt default in its history as the economic crisis triggered by forex shortages sparked public protests.