ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by was 49.09 % in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
49.09 %
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
71st
of 79 countries
All-time high
54.76 %
in 2017
All-time low
49.09 %
in 2023
Years of data
13
2010–2023

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Sri Lanka, 2010–2023

02040602010201620232010: 54.3 %2011: 53.7 %2013: 53.1 %2014: 52.4 %2015: 54.7 %2016: 54.5 %2017: 54.8 %2018: 52.2 %2019: 52.7 %2020: 51.2 %2021: 50.5 %2022: 50.2 %2023: 49.1 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Sri Lanka stood at 49.09 %. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Sri Lanka peaked at 54.76 % in 2017 and was at its lowest, 49.09 %, in 2023.

That places Sri Lanka 71st out of 79 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by age, total (15+), rural areas — Value in Sri Lanka, 2010 to 2023.
Year % Change
2010 54.28 %
2011 53.7 % -1.1%
2013 53.1 % -1.1%
2014 52.35 % -1.4%
2015 54.71 % +4.5%
2016 54.54 % -0.3%
2017 54.76 % +0.4%
2018 52.18 % -4.7%
2019 52.67 % +0.9%
2020 51.25 % -2.7%
2021 50.45 % -1.6%
2022 50.25 % -0.4%
2023 49.09 % -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 53.59 % 52.18 % 54.76 % 9
2020s 50.26 % 49.09 % 51.25 % 4

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 68 Namibia 51.07 % compare
  2. 69 Egypt 49.4 % compare
  3. 70 Greece 49.24 % compare
  4. 72 Palestine, State of 48.79 % compare
  5. 73 Italy 48.5 % compare
  6. 74 Bulgaria 47.66 % compare

See the full ranking of 86 places →

More economy & growth data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Sri Lanka?
Ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Sri Lanka was 49.09 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 54.76 % in 2017.
What is the lowest ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 49.09 % in 2023.
How does Sri Lanka rank for ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by?
Sri Lanka ranks 71st out of 79 countries with data for 2023.
Is ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by age, total (15+), rural areas — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/ilostat-labour-force-survey-labour-force-participation-rate-by-age-total-15-rural-areas/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by age, total (15+), rural areas — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
86 places, 1,544 data points, 1987–2025
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Employment indicators domain focuses on indicators related to employment in agrifood systems and rural areas. The update is performed yearly, using data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) database that contains a rich set of indicators from a wide range of topics related to labour statistics. The indicators published in FAOSTAT are derived from the labour force statistics (LFS) and rural and urban labour markets (RURURB) databases of the ILOSTAT database.