Unemployment rate for young people in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Unemployment rate for young people was 18.58 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
18.58
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
58th
of 186 countries
All-time high
36.11
in 1991
All-time low
16.76
in 2011
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate for young people in Sri Lanka, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate for young people in Sri Lanka is 18.58, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in Sri Lanka peaked at 36.11 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 16.76, in 2011.
That places Sri Lanka 58th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 36.11 | — |
| 1992 | 35.21 | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 34.64 | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 33.7 | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 33.78 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 32.62 | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 31.52 | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 25.73 | -18.4% |
| 1999 | 26.25 | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 23.79 | -9.4% |
| 2001 | 25.01 | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 28.55 | +14.1% |
| 2003 | 27.59 | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 28.3 | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 27.7 | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 22.12 | -20.1% |
| 2007 | 21.47 | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 18.73 | -12.7% |
| 2009 | 21.16 | +12.9% |
| 2010 | 18.68 | -11.7% |
| 2011 | 16.76 | -10.3% |
| 2012 | 16.8 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 17.94 | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 18.78 | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 19.23 | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 20.07 | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 17.39 | -13.3% |
| 2018 | 20.5 | +17.9% |
| 2019 | 20.43 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 25.45 | +24.6% |
| 2021 | 25.37 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 21.73 | -14.3% |
| 2023 | 20.34 | -6.4% |
| 2024 | 19.06 | -6.3% |
| 2025 | 18.58 | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.17 | 25.73 | 36.11 | 9 |
| 2000s | 24.44 | 18.73 | 28.55 | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.66 | 16.76 | 20.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.76 | 18.58 | 25.45 | 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 unemployment rate for young people in Sri Lanka?
- Unemployment rate for young people in Sri Lanka was 18.58 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 36.11 in 1991.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.76 in 2011.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- Sri Lanka ranks 58th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate for young people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).