Employment in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Employment was 7,950 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
7,950
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
53rd
of 174 countries
All-time high
8,208
in 2017
All-time low
4,738
in 1981
Years of data
34
1981–2024
Employment in Sri Lanka, 1981–2024
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 7,950 for employment in 2024.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Sri Lanka peaked at 8,208 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 4,738, in 1981.
That places Sri Lanka 53rd out of 174 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 4,738 | — |
| 1985 | 5,132 | +8.3% |
| 1990 | 5,964 | +16.2% |
| 1991 | 5,136 | -13.9% |
| 1992 | 4,986 | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 5,072 | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 5,281 | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 5,357 | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 5,537 | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 5,608 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 6,049 | +7.9% |
| 2002 | 6,519 | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 7,013 | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 7,362 | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 7,518 | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 7,105 | -5.5% |
| 2007 | 7,042 | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 7,175 | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 7,602 | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 7,696 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 7,591 | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 8,129 | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 7,460 | -8.2% |
| 2014 | 7,485 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 7,831 | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 7,948 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 8,208 | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 8,015 | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 8,181 | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 7,999 | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 8,114 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 8,148 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 8,010 | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 7,950 | -0.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 7,950 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3,125, 2.5× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 7,950 is above the median for South Asia, which is 7,950, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4,935 | 4,738 | 5,132 | 2 |
| 1990s | 5,443 | 4,986 | 6,049 | 9 |
| 2000s | 7,167 | 6,519 | 7,602 | 8 |
| 2010s | 7,854 | 7,460 | 8,208 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,044 | 7,950 | 8,148 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 50 United Arab Emirates 9,246 compare
- 51 Kazakhstan 8,972 compare
- 52 Ecuador 8,330 compare
- 54 Romania 7,694 compare
- 55 Afghanistan 7,679 compare
- 56 Guatemala 7,583 compare
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 employment in Sri Lanka?
- Employment in Sri Lanka was 7,950 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 8,208 in 2017.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,738 in 1981.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for employment?
- Sri Lanka ranks 53rd out of 174 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).