Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) was 30.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka, 1999–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 30.4% for unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in 2024.
That represents a change of up 5.2% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka peaked at 37.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 23.5%, in 2012.
That places Sri Lanka 18th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 35.4% | — |
| 2000 | 30.8% | -13.1% |
| 2003 | 33.8% | +10.0% |
| 2004 | 35.7% | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 37.0% | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 28.2% | -23.8% |
| 2007 | 28.1% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 25.3% | -9.8% |
| 2009 | 27.9% | +10.0% |
| 2010 | 23.8% | -14.5% |
| 2011 | 24.5% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 23.5% | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 24.9% | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 26.4% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 26.3% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 28.4% | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 23.7% | -16.6% |
| 2018 | 29.4% | +24.4% |
| 2019 | 28.1% | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 34.3% | +22.1% |
| 2021 | 35.2% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 26.0% | -26.0% |
| 2023 | 28.8% | +10.8% |
| 2024 | 30.4% | +5.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 30.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.6%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 30.4% is above the median for South Asia, which is 19.1%, 1.6× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.4% | 35.4% | 35.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 30.9% | 25.3% | 37.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 25.9% | 23.5% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.9% | 26.0% | 35.2% | 5 |
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, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka?
- Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka was 30.4% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 37.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.5% in 2012.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24)?
- Sri Lanka ranks 18th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.