Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 was 27.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Sri Lanka, 1981–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 27.7% for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in 2024.
That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Sri Lanka peaked at 35.5% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 15.6%, in 1981.
That places Sri Lanka 159th out of 172 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 15.6% | — |
| 1985 | 30.2% | +93.9% |
| 1994 | 29.3% | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 29.2% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 29.8% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 30.6% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 35.5% | +16.0% |
| 1999 | 33.6% | -5.5% |
| 2000 | 32.3% | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 28.2% | -12.8% |
| 2002 | 29.2% | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 31.0% | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 30.2% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 27.2% | -10.1% |
| 2007 | 30.4% | +11.6% |
| 2010 | 31.8% | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 31.8% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 30.9% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 32.0% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 31.5% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 33.1% | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 33.4% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 34.3% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 31.2% | -9.0% |
| 2019 | 31.9% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 29.3% | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 29.3% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 30.0% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 29.1% | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 27.7% | -4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.9% | 15.6% | 30.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 31.3% | 29.2% | 35.5% | 6 |
| 2000s | 29.8% | 27.2% | 32.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 32.2% | 30.9% | 34.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.1% | 27.7% | 30.0% | 5 |
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 female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Sri Lanka?
- Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Sri Lanka was 27.7% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 35.5% in 1998.
- What is the lowest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.6% in 1981.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024?
- Sri Lanka ranks 159th out of 172 countries with data for 2024.
- Is female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the female working-age population who are employed. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.