Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO) in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO) was 58.62 in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
58.62
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
16th
of 44 countries
All-time high
62.02
in 2013
All-time low
58.62
in 2024
Years of data
12
2013–2024

Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO) in Sri Lanka, 2013–2024

02040602013201820242013: 622014: 60.72015: 61.62016: 61.42017: 59.42018: 60.12019: 592020: 59.42021: 59.62022: 58.82023: 59.62024: 58.6

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo) in Sri Lanka is 58.62, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo) in Sri Lanka peaked at 62.02 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 58.62, in 2024.

Sri Lanka ranks 16th of 44 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO) in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) in Sri Lanka, 2013 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2013 62.02
2014 60.7 -2.1%
2015 61.58 +1.5%
2016 61.45 -0.2%
2017 59.42 -3.3%
2018 60.15 +1.2%
2019 59.02 -1.9%
2020 59.36 +0.6%
2021 59.62 +0.4%
2022 58.76 -1.5%
2023 59.57 +1.4%
2024 58.62 -1.6%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 58.62 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 1.3× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 60.62 59.02 62.02 7
2020s 59.19 58.62 59.62 5

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 13 Myanmar 67.3 compare
  2. 14 Guatemala 67.15 compare
  3. 15 Viet Nam 62.01 compare
  4. 17 Ecuador 57.32 compare
  5. 18 El Salvador 57.13 compare
  6. 19 Peru 56.32 compare

See the full ranking of 44 places →

More work & labour data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo) in Sri Lanka?
Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo) in Sri Lanka was 58.62 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo) recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 62.02 in 2013.
What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo) recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 58.62 in 2024.
How does Sri Lanka rank for share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo)?
Sri Lanka ranks 16th out of 44 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ilo) 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 flat.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO) in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employment-outside-the-formal-sector-previous-ilo-definition-icls13-15/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
44 places, 449 data points, 2004–2026
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This harmonized series for employment outside the formal sector is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. 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 Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.