SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total was 66.35 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
66.35
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
23rd
of 83 countries
All-time high
70.98
in 2010
All-time low
66.35
in 2024
Years of data
14
2010–2024

SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Sri Lanka, 2010–2024

0204060802010201720242010: 712011: 70.82013: 702014: 69.22015: 69.52016: 69.72017: 68.12018: 67.92019: 66.72020: 66.92021: 67.42022: 66.92023: 67.62024: 66.4

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2024, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Sri Lanka stood at 66.35. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Sri Lanka peaked at 70.98 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 66.35, in 2024.

That places Sri Lanka 23rd out of 83 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Sri Lanka, 2010 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2010 70.98
2011 70.84 -0.2%
2013 69.98 -1.2%
2014 69.17 -1.2%
2015 69.5 +0.5%
2016 69.73 +0.3%
2017 68.12 -2.3%
2018 67.93 -0.3%
2019 66.67 -1.9%
2020 66.95 +0.4%
2021 67.42 +0.7%
2022 66.95 -0.7%
2023 67.57 +0.9%
2024 66.35 -1.8%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 66.35 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 55.37, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 69.21 66.67 70.98 9
2020s 67.05 66.35 67.57 5

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 20 Egypt 68.61 compare
  2. 21 Ecuador 68.45 compare
  3. 22 Vietnam 67.03 compare
  4. 24 Paraguay 64.5 compare
  5. 25 El Salvador 63.63 compare
  6. 26 Thailand 63.17 compare

See the full ranking of 170 places →

More work & labour data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Sri Lanka?
Sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Sri Lanka was 66.35 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 70.98 in 2010.
What is the lowest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 66.35 in 2024.
How does Sri Lanka rank for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total?
Sri Lanka ranks 23rd out of 83 countries with data for 2024.
Is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/sdg-indicator-8-3-1-proportion-of-informal-employment-in-total-employment-previous-ilo/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
170 places, 3,309 data points, 2000–2027
Last refreshed

Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. This indicator conveys the share of informal employment in total employment. Employment comprises all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were either in paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work) or in self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Informal employment comprises persons who in their main or secondary jobs were (a) own-account workers, employers and members of producers' cooperatives employed in their own informal sector enterprises; (b) own-account workers engaged in the production of goods exclusively for own final use by their household (e.g. subsistence farming); (c) contributing family workers, regardless of whether they work in formal or informal sector enterprises; or (d) employees holding informal jobs, whether employed by formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises, or as paid domestic workers by households. Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Labour Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.