Labour · South Asia · Upper-middle income
Sri Lanka: the labour market
Labour force is 8.3m (2025), 64th of 187 in the world and 4th of 6 in South Asia. Participation rate is 48.5% (2025), 163rd of 187 in the world and 5th of 6 in South Asia. Women's participation is 31.0% (2025), 165th of 187 in the world and 5th of 6 in South Asia.
Labour force
Sri Lanka
Participation rate
Sri LankaSouth AsiaUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Sri Lanka in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within South Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 8.3m2025 | 64/187 | 4/6 | 7.8m | 8.3m | 8.5m | −2.5%since 2015 | 710m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 48.5%2025 | 163/187 | 5/6 | 55.6% | 53.3% | 50.5% | −5.2 ppsince 2015 | 55.6% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 31.0%2025 | 165/187 | 5/6 | 36.3% | 34.0% | 31.7% | −4.3 ppsince 2015 | 33.0% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 46.6%2025 | 156/187 | 5/6 | 51.3% | 50.7% | 47.8% | −4.7 ppsince 2015 | 53.2% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 4.0%2025 | 120/187 | 4/6 | 7.7% | 4.8% | 5.4% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 4.2% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 6.5%2025 | 81/187 | 2/6 | 11.5% | 7.5% | 8.3% | −1.0 ppsince 2015 | 4.2% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 18.6%2025 | 58/187 | 2/6 | 23.8% | 18.7% | 25.4% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 15.4% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 17.2%2024 | 92/170 | 4/6 | · | 26.7% | 21.5% | −12.3 ppsince 2014 | 25.5% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 57.9%2025 | 115/187 | 2/6 | 52.9% | 54.6% | 57.5% | +1.8 ppsince 2015 | 26.9% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 39.2%2025 | 67/187 | 5/6 | 44.5% | 42.5% | 40.0% | −1.5 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 25.9%2025 | 71/187 | 4/6 | 37.7% | 31.5% | 27.1% | −2.8 ppsince 2015 | 41.5% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 26.3%2025 | 34/187 | 2/6 | 19.7% | 24.2% | 26.9% | +0.5 ppsince 2015 | 25.1% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 47.8%2025 | 138/187 | 2/6 | 42.6% | 44.3% | 46.0% | +2.3 ppsince 2015 | 33.4% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Unemployment−0.5 pp4.0% in 2025
- Female unemployment−1.0 pp6.5% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−0.7 pp18.6% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−12.3 pp17.2% in 2024
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−4.3 pp31.0% in 2025
- Employment rate−4.7 pp46.6% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Sri Lanka and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Sri Lanka. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Sri Lanka | India |
|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 8.3m2025 | 618m2025 |
| Participation rate | 48.5%2025 | 55.7%2025 |
| Women's participation | 31.0%2025 | 32.4%2025 |
| Employment rate | 46.6%2025 | 53.3%2025 |
| Unemployment | 4.0%2025 | 4.2%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 6.5%2025 | 4.1%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 18.6%2025 | 16.0%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 17.2%2024 | 25.6%2025 |
| Wage workers | 57.9%2025 | 25.1%2025 |