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MacroSri Lanka

Unemployment rate in Sri Lanka

How hard is it to have a job there?

Sri Lanka's unemployment rate is 4.00 % — #43 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

4.00%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in Sri Lanka over time

8.76 %6.32 %3.88 %8.76 % · 20023.88 % · 20122000: 7.74 %2001: 7.90 %2002: 8.76 %2003: 8.22 %2004: 8.38 %2005: 7.67 %2006: 6.50 %2007: 5.97 %2008: 5.22 %2009: 5.85 %2010: 4.78 %2011: 4.12 %2012: 3.88 %2013: 4.19 %2014: 4.16 %2015: 4.52 %2016: 4.24 %2017: 4.05 %2018: 4.32 %2019: 4.67 %2020: 5.36 %2021: 4.98 %2022: 4.53 %2023: 4.53 %2024: 4.24 %2025: 4.00 %2000201220254.00 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#43 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
65 %
81 of 124 countries
Latest move
▼ 0.23 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
4.75 pp
peak 8.76 % in 2002
Full series
▼ 3.74 pp
since 2000

In Asia: #20 of 36vs median 5.25 %: −1.25 pp (better)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %Sri Lanka: ahead of 65 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentSri Lanka 4.00 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. Sri Lanka is ahead of 65 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs Sri Lanka
41 Bangladesh3.78 %−0.23 pp
42 Netherlands3.87 %−0.13 pp
43 Sri Lanka4.00 %—
44 Australia4.09 %+0.08 pp
45 United States4.20 %+0.19 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about Sri Lanka

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare Sri Lanka with another country →Everything about Sri Lanka →
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