In 2024, Sri Lanka was the world’s 11th-ranked producer of graphite (natural), accounting for 0.19% of the world’s production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included secondary aluminum, cement, clays, dolomite, feldspar, gemstones, iron and steel, secondary lead, phosphate rock, stone, titanium, and zircon. The mining and quarrying sector contributed 1.5% to Sri Lanka’s gross domestic product. Sri Lanka primarily exported graphite to Japan as well as Germany and the United States.
The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Sri Lanka is provided by the Mines and Minerals Act (No. 66 of 2009), which amended No. 33 of 1992. The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau under the Ministry of Environment operates to identify the country’s mineral occurrences and potential for development; while the National Gem and Jewellery Authority under the Ministry of Industries manages the development, regulation, and promotion of the country’s gem and jewelry industry. The Government, through the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the National Gem and Jewellery Authority, was involved in mineral commodity sectors such as gemstones, graphite, titanium, and zircon. However, a mixture of domestic and foreign private companies comprised the bulk of the mineral commodity sector in Sri Lanka. The country’s graphite deposits were primarily composed of vein graphite, which can be shipped directly from mines without primary beneficiation, and had an average carbon content of 95.5%.
