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Population
Migration
2024: Introduction of visas for digital nomads
On July 20, 2024, it became known that Sri Lanka is introducing visas for digital nomads. We are talking about programmers, designers and online entrepreneurs who can work remotely.
The initiative, according to RIA Novosti, was told by the Charge d'Affaires of Sri Lanka in Moscow, Pakir Mohidin Amza. According to him, in the current situation, the digital economy is one of the priorities for the country's development. The island nation is interested in attracting digital nomads. The island can be attractive to them due to its time zone and location between East and West.
A digital nomad visa can be obtained by foreigners who work remotely. The document is issued for a period of one year with the possibility of extension. A prerequisite is an income of at least $2,000 per month. The status of a digital nomad will not give employment rights in a Sri Lankan company.
It is necessary to submit an application from Russia to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Moscow. The visa fee will be about $500. To obtain a visa, the following documents are required: a passport (valid for 6 months or more), an employment contract indicating salaries, an extract from bank accounts about regular enrollment, business income data for entrepreneurs. Together with the applicant, visas can be obtained by the spouse (s) and minor children, as well as dependent parents[1]"
2021: Net outflow over 4 years
Mortality
Traffic safety
Economy
Financial system
External debt
2022: IMF's $2.9 billion default and loan over 4 years
On April 12, 2022, Sri Lanka defaulted on external obligations. The crisis was caused by a currency shortage due to a drop in tourist flow in the COVID-19 pandemic, as a result of which Sri Lanka has nothing to buy fuel for, and electricity is cut off in many areas.
In August 2022, it became known that the International Monetary Fund will provide financial assistance to Sri Lanka, allocating an amount of $2.9 billion over four years.
2019: Debt to China - $5.4 billion
with theInflation
2022
Inflation in November - 66%
Inflation in July - 60.8%
Inflation in Sri Lanka in July 2022 rose to 60.8%, writes Bloomberg. The cost of transport and food increased the most - by 143.6% and 90.9%, respectively. The Central Bank warned that inflation in 2022 could exceed 70%.
Energy and power
Energy consumption per capita
andEnergy supplies
2022: Country lacks funds to import fuel
Sri Lanka's economy has "completely collapsed," now the country cannot afford fuel imports, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe said on June 21, 2022, in an interview with the Associated Press.
"Oureconomy has completely collapsed. This is the most serious problem to date, "he said. The debt of Sri Lanka's largest oil and gas company Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is $700 million, and "no country or organization in the world is ready to provide us with fuel."
At this time, Sri Lanka has almost no gasoline, and there is also a shortage of other fuels, imported food and medicine.
Unemployment
2020: Unemployment rate - 8.4%
Tourism
2022
Sri Lanka breaks promise and delays Aeroflot plane
On June 03, 2022, an Aeroflot Airbus A330 was banned from leaving Sri Lanka. The aircraft is owned by the Irish company Celestial Aviation Trading Limited, was registered in Bermuda and had a double registration. The Sri Lankan authorities gave guarantees that they would not detain the planes, but did not keep their promise, succumbing to pressure from the countries that imposed sanctions against Russia against the backdrop of a special operation by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine.
In early July, the President of Sri Lanka asked the President of Russia to help with loans for the purchase of fuel, asked to resume Aeroflot flights.
Investment visas for foreigners
The collapse of Sri Lanka's economy forced it at the end of April 2022 to offer foreigners an investment visa for 5 and 10 years. The country's authorities hope to increase the inflow of currency. The government has approved two visa programs. Foreign investors can deposit $100,000 on a bank deposit and get permission to live and work in Sri Lanka for 10 years. The second option is to buy a property for $75,000 and get a five-year visa.
Sri Lanka is experiencing an acute crisis: the pandemic has hit tourism revenues. The country is in dire need of foreign currency, not even enough for food and fuel imports. Utilities cut power, gas stations have long lines for gasoline and kerosene.
2018: Tourist spending $4bn a year
Foreign trade
2022: US is the biggest export destination
Tea supplies to Russia
"Every year Russians consume more than 160 thousand tons of tea. The cost of total tea imports in Russia exceeds $540 million, while Sri Lanka accounts for about 30% of this volume. In 2017, Ceylon tea supplies to Russia amounted to 33 thousand tons. This is a tenth of the total export of tea leaf from Sri Lanka, "said Sri Lanka Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation Saman Weerasinghe in February 2018.
In physical terms, supplies from the republic decreased by about a thousand tons compared to 2016, but in monetary terms, exports increased significantly - from $133 million to $170 million: the price of real Ceylon tea increased, but this did not alienate connoisseurs.
The increase in the price of quality tea, Mr Rohan Pyattiyagoda, Chairman of the Tea Bureau of Sri Lanka, attributed the reduction in production due to the adverse weather conditions of the last two years as well as the high cost of labor on tea plantations.
"All tea is collected manually, and the remuneration of our employees is 2 times higher than the payment in the competing countries. Thus, we support the collection of truly high-quality tea raw materials, "explained Mr. Pyattiyagoda.
"Our trade relations have begun since the tea industry appeared on the island in 1867. In 2017, Russians drank more than 15 billion cups of Ceylon tea. Russia occupies the second position in exporting tea from Sri Lanka, only slightly inferior to Turkey, - said the chairman of the Tea Bureau. "In 2018, we will make every effort to get Russia to the first line."
2017 was not called the end of the crisis for nothing: according to the Tea Bureau of Sri Lanka, the demand for expensive orthodox teas (classic teas made using ancient technologies) has grown significantly in Russia. At this time, the most popular varieties of Ceylon tea among Russian consumers are orthodox large-leaf and medium-leaf teas.
The Embassy of the Republic is confident that demand will increase in 2018. This should be facilitated by both the general trend of market growth and the global campaign to promote Ceylon tea in the largest exporting countries, initiated by the Sri Lankan government.
R&D
2020: R&D expenses - $220 million
Agriculture
2019: Low use of pesticides in agriculture
Consumption
Meat
2023: Fish consumption is higher than meat consumption
Automobile traffic
Sri Lanka is a left-hand country.
Education
2019: Number of years of education by citizens over 25
Health care
Maternity leave
in2020: No guaranteed paid sick leave
Crime
Prisons
2022: Minimum age of imprisonment for children - 7 years
2018: Number of prisoners
Sport
2022: The most popular sport is cricket
inHolidays
January
History
2024: Anura Kumara Dissanayake is Sri Lanka's new president
In September 2024, new President Anura Kumar Dissanayake took office in Sri Lanka, elected head of state in the first election since the mass protests of 2022 and the early resignation of previous President Gotabai Rajapaksa. After the victory, the president-elect announced his readiness to "rewrite the history of Sri Lanka." Read more here.