Australia vs Sri Lanka: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)

Australia
4.2%
in 2025
Sri Lanka
4.3%
in 2024
Australia rank
123rd
Sri Lanka rank
120th

Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) over time

  • Australia
  • Sri Lanka
2.557.51012.515197920022025

How they compare

Sri Lanka currently reports 4.3% against 4.2% in Australia, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 36 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Sri Lanka ahead.

Australia ranks 123rd and Sri Lanka ranks 120th of 187 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and Sri Lanka in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia Sri Lanka Difference Ahead
1980s 7.0% 14.2% 7.2% Sri Lanka
1990s 8.8% 12.3% 3.6% Sri Lanka
2000s 5.4% 7.0% 1.7% Sri Lanka
2010s 5.5% 4.3% 1.2% Australia
2020s 4.6% 4.8% 0.2% Sri Lanka

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher unemployment, total (% of total labor force), Australia or Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka, at 4.3% against 4.2% in Australia as of 2024.
What is the difference in unemployment, total (% of total labor force) between Australia and Sri Lanka?
0.1%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Sri Lanka?
36 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2024.
How do Australia and Sri Lanka rank globally for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
Australia ranks 123rd and Sri Lanka ranks 120th of 187 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Australia vs Sri Lanka: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force). Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/unemployment-total-percent-of-total-labor-force-national-estimate/australia/sri-lanka/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/unemployment-total-percent-of-total-labor-force-national-estimate/australia/sri-lanka/">Australia vs Sri Lanka: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate)
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
220 places, 6,054 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.