Sri Lanka, Oct. 5 -- Sri Lanka's cumulative expenditure on fuel imports soared by 61.6 percent year-on-year during the first eight months of 2026, reaching US$ 4 billion compared to the corresponding period in 2025.

According to Central Bank external sector data, this sharp rise in energy spending was a dominant factor behind the significant widening of the nation's cumulative trade deficit, which expanded to US$ 7.2 billion between January and August 2026, up from US$ 4.3 billion during the same time frame last year. External pressures, including heightened energy costs linked to the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, drove import prices up at a faster pace than export prices throughout the year, leading to a overall deteriorati...