Sri Lanka, June 16 -- The Department of Census and Statistics yesterday said that the country's economy has shown a positive growth trend with Gross Domestic Products (GDP) expanding by 5.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the corresponding period last year.

Statistics indicate that this was the highest GDP growth recorded in the first quarter of a financial year since 2018. The strong performance was achieved despite the ongoing recovery from the impacts of Cyclone Ditwah and the challenges arising from the turbulent situation in the Gulf region.

The Department's National Accounts Estimates showed that GDP increased to Rs. 3,652,503 million during the first quarter of 2026, from Rs. 3,476,664 million recorded in the sam...