Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 17.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka, 1999–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 17.2% for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.2% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka peaked at 22.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 2011.
That places Sri Lanka 46th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 22.1% | — |
| 2000 | 19.9% | -9.6% |
| 2003 | 21.6% | +8.6% |
| 2004 | 21.2% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 20.4% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 17.5% | -14.4% |
| 2007 | 17.1% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 14.2% | -16.9% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | +20.5% |
| 2010 | 16.1% | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 12.6% | -21.8% |
| 2012 | 14.0% | +11.2% |
| 2013 | 14.7% | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 15.9% | +8.0% |
| 2015 | 16.3% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 16.8% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 14.6% | -12.9% |
| 2018 | 16.6% | +13.4% |
| 2019 | 17.1% | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 21.5% | +25.7% |
| 2021 | 21.0% | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 19.8% | -5.5% |
| 2023 | 19.2% | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 17.2% | -10.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 17.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.6%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 17.2% is above the median for South Asia, which is 17.2%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.1% | 22.1% | 22.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 18.6% | 14.2% | 21.6% | 8 |
| 2010s | 15.5% | 12.6% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.7% | 17.2% | 21.5% | 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 male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sri Lanka was 17.2% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22.1% in 1999.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.6% in 2011.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Sri Lanka ranks 46th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. 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 male (% of male 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.