Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) was 17.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sri Lanka, 2005–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sri Lanka is 17.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 34.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sri Lanka peaked at 29.6% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 17.2%, in 2024.
Sri Lanka ranks 97th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 29.4% | — |
| 2006 | 27.7% | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 27.4% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 26.6% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 27.3% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 26.7% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 26.5% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 27.2% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 28.1% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 29.6% | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 26.6% | -9.9% |
| 2016 | 27.1% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 24.7% | -8.7% |
| 2018 | 24.2% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 21.2% | -12.3% |
| 2020 | 21.5% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 19.4% | -9.9% |
| 2022 | 18.1% | -6.8% |
| 2023 | 18.2% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 17.2% | -5.5% |
| 2025 | 17.4% | +1.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 17.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 87% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 17.4% is below the median for South Asia, which is 22.2%, 78% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.7% | 26.6% | 29.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 26.2% | 21.2% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.6% | 17.2% | 21.5% | 6 |
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 share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sri Lanka?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sri Lanka was 17.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2014.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.2% in 2024.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- Sri Lanka ranks 97th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive).