Labor force, total in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Labor force, total was 8.26 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in Sri Lanka, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 8.26 million for labor force, total in 2025.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Sri Lanka peaked at 8.78 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 6.50 million, in 1992.
That places Sri Lanka 64th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.04 million | 6.50 million | 7.90 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.12 million | 7.83 million | 8.28 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.41 million | 8.03 million | 8.78 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.37 million | 8.11 million | 8.53 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.7% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.8% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 91.5% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 73,333 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 92.1% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 90.8% (2023)
- Labor force, female 33.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 1 GPI (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Sri Lanka?
- Labor force, total in Sri Lanka was 8.26 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 8.78 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.50 million in 1992.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for labor force, total?
- Sri Lanka ranks 64th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.