Jan 2 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan shares ended higher on the first trading day of 2023 on Monday, helped by gains in industrial stocks.

* The CSE All-Share index rose 0.23% to 8,509.60, posting gains for the third consecutive session.

* Last year, the index fell 30.5%, logging its worst year since 2008 as the island nation battled a severe economic crisis.

* Conglomerate Expolanka Holdings and life insurance solutions provider Softlogic Life Insurance Plc were the biggest boosts on Monday, rising 1.65% and 11.89%, respectively, according to Refinitiv data.

* The trading volume fell to 130.9 million shares from 239.3 million shares in the previous session.

* The equity market's turnover fell to 1.87 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($5.15 million) from 1.89 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

* Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading stocks worth 84.7 million rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing 1.86 billion rupees of shares, the data showed.

* For a report on global markets, click ($1 = 363.0000 Sri Lankan rupees) (Reporting by Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru; Editing by Sohini Goswami)