Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 57.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 57.9% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka peaked at 58.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 52.2%, in 2006.
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, total (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 55.4% | — |
| 1992 | 55.6% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 55.8% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 55.6% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 55.7% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 55.8% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 56.0% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 52.3% | -6.6% |
| 1999 | 54.1% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 52.9% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 55.3% | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 54.5% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 54.5% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 56.1% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 55.9% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 52.2% | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 53.1% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 52.7% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 54.2% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 54.6% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 55.1% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 56.4% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 56.3% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 57.0% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 56.1% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 57.8% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 57.7% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 57.8% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 57.9% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 57.5% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 57.3% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 58.0% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 57.9% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 57.8% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 57.9% | +0.1% |
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% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 112 Mongolia 58.8% compare
- 113 Paraguay 58.7% compare
- 114 Tonga 58.2% compare
- 116 Dominican Republic 57.9% compare
- 117 Syrian Arab Republic 57.6% compare
- 118 Iran, Islamic Republic of 57.1% 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, total (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka was 57.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 58.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.2% in 2006.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Sri Lanka ranks 115th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. 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, total (% of total 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.