Annual working hours per worker in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Annual working hours per worker was 2,053 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2,053 hours per worker
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
55th
of 130 countries
All-time high
2,322 hours per worker
in 1993
All-time low
1,883 hours per worker
in 2020
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Annual working hours per worker in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual working hours per worker in Sri Lanka is 2,053 hours per worker, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Sri Lanka peaked at 2,322 hours per worker in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1,883 hours per worker, in 2020.
That places Sri Lanka 55th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Annual working hours per worker in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | hours per worker | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,182 hours per worker | — |
| 1971 | 2,181 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 2,181 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 2,181 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 2,181 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 2,181 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 2,180 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 2,244 hours per worker | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 2,248 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 2,252 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 2,257 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 2,266 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 2,271 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 2,286 hours per worker | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 2,263 hours per worker | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 2,179 hours per worker | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 2,252 hours per worker | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 2,259 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 2,267 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 2,274 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 2,282 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 2,300 hours per worker | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 2,304 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 2,322 hours per worker | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 2,258 hours per worker | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 2,237 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 2,229 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 2,181 hours per worker | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 2,199 hours per worker | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 2,225 hours per worker | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 2,303 hours per worker | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 2,274 hours per worker | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 2,086 hours per worker | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 1,996 hours per worker | -4.3% |
| 2004 | 2,137 hours per worker | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 2,173 hours per worker | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 2,169 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 2,169 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2,168 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 2,154 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 2,142 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 2,111 hours per worker | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 2,162 hours per worker | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 2,197 hours per worker | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 2,221 hours per worker | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 2,146 hours per worker | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 2,199 hours per worker | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 2,217 hours per worker | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 2,177 hours per worker | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 2,137 hours per worker | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 1,883 hours per worker | -11.9% |
| 2021 | 1,974 hours per worker | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 2,052 hours per worker | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 2,053 hours per worker | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 2,053 hours per worker is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,063 hours per worker, 100% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2,201 hours per worker | 2,180 hours per worker | 2,252 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,257 hours per worker | 2,179 hours per worker | 2,286 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,254 hours per worker | 2,181 hours per worker | 2,322 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,163 hours per worker | 1,996 hours per worker | 2,303 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,171 hours per worker | 2,111 hours per worker | 2,221 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,991 hours per worker | 1,883 hours per worker | 2,053 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More work & labour data for Sri Lanka
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.5555 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5407 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5702 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.3 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.6 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,575 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 14,218 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 10,672 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 10,578 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 21,249 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in Sri Lanka?
- Annual working hours per worker in Sri Lanka was 2,053 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2,322 hours per worker in 1993.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,883 hours per worker in 2020.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for annual working hours per worker?
- Sri Lanka ranks 55th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.