Wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) was 57.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) in Sri Lanka, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) in Sri Lanka stood at 57.1%.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) in Sri Lanka peaked at 58.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 52.1%, in 1998.
That places Sri Lanka 115th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 54.0% | — |
| 1992 | 54.3% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 54.4% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 54.3% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 54.4% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 54.5% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 54.7% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 52.1% | -4.6% |
| 1999 | 54.0% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 53.0% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 54.2% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 53.9% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 53.7% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 55.2% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 56.1% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 52.5% | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 53.6% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 53.2% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 55.4% | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 55.7% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 56.0% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 56.7% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 57.1% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 57.8% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 56.8% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 58.9% | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 58.8% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 57.9% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 57.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 56.8% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 56.7% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 57.1% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 57.1% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 57.1% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 57.1% | +0.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 57.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.9%, 84% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 57.1% is above the median for South Asia, which is 40.1%, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.1% | 52.1% | 54.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 54.1% | 52.5% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.4% | 55.7% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.0% | 56.7% | 57.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 112 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 58.1% compare
- 113 Lesotho 57.8% compare
- 114 Panama 57.1% compare
- 116 Mongolia 57.1% compare
- 117 Sao Tome and Principe 56.4% compare
- 118 Iran, Islamic Republic of 56.0% compare
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 wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) in Sri Lanka?
- Wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) in Sri Lanka was 57.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 58.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.1% in 1998.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment)?
- Sri Lanka ranks 115th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.