Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS was 67.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
67.6%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
24th
of 92 countries
All-time high
71.0%
in 2010
All-time low
66.7%
in 2019
Years of data
13
2010–2023

Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Sri Lanka, 2010–2023

0204060802010201620232010: 712011: 70.82013: 702014: 69.22015: 69.52016: 69.72017: 68.12018: 67.92019: 66.72020: 672021: 67.42022: 672023: 67.6

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

The most recent figure for proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Sri Lanka is 67.6%, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Sri Lanka peaked at 71.0% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 66.7%, in 2019.

Sri Lanka ranks 24th of 92 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%) in Sri Lanka, 2010 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2010 71.0%
2011 70.8% -0.2%
2013 70.0% -1.2%
2014 69.2% -1.2%
2015 69.5% +0.5%
2016 69.7% +0.3%
2017 68.1% -2.3%
2018 67.9% -0.3%
2019 66.7% -1.9%
2020 67.0% +0.4%
2021 67.4% +0.7%
2022 67.0% -0.7%
2023 67.6% +0.9%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 67.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 54.7%, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 69.2% 66.7% 71.0% 9
2020s 67.2% 67.0% 67.6% 4

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 21 Peru 70.5% compare
  2. 22 Egypt 68.6% compare
  3. 23 Ecuador 68.5% compare
  4. 25 Viet Nam 67.0% compare
  5. 25 Viet Nam 67.0% compare
  6. 27 Paraguay 64.5% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More work & labour data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Sri Lanka?
Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls in Sri Lanka was 67.6% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 71.0% in 2010.
What is the lowest proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 66.7% in 2019.
How does Sri Lanka rank for proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls?
Sri Lanka ranks 24th out of 92 countries with data for 2023.
Is proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th icls rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-informal-employment-by-sector-and-sex-13th-icls-percent/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 UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-informal-employment-by-sector-and-sex-13th-icls-percent/sri-lanka/">Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS in Sri Lanka</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
128 places, 2,151 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed