Employment by status in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Employment by status was 57.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Sri Lanka, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment by status in Sri Lanka is 57.8%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Sri Lanka peaked at 58.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 52.2%, in 2006.
Sri Lanka ranks 116th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.2% | 52.3% | 56.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 54.1% | 52.2% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.7% | 54.6% | 57.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.7% | 57.3% | 58.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More work & labour data for Sri Lanka
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 48.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 45.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 31.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 53.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 73.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 35.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Sri Lanka?
- Employment by status in Sri Lanka was 57.8% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 58.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.2% in 2006.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for employment by status?
- Sri Lanka ranks 116th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.