Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 25.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka stood at 25.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka peaked at 40.5% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 2019.
Sri Lanka ranks 71st of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 39.0% | — |
| 1992 | 40.5% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 36.2% | -10.5% |
| 1994 | 39.0% | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 35.3% | -9.5% |
| 1996 | 32.1% | -9.1% |
| 1997 | 34.4% | +7.3% |
| 1998 | 38.4% | +11.5% |
| 1999 | 38.1% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 37.7% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 37.8% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 37.5% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 37.3% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 36.0% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 34.6% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 33.8% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 33.1% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 32.6% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 32.2% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 31.5% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 30.8% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 31.0% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 29.6% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 28.1% | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 28.7% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 27.1% | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 26.1% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 25.5% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 25.3% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 27.1% | +7.1% |
| 2021 | 27.3% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 26.5% | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 26.5% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 26.3% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 25.9% | -1.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 25.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.5%, 1.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 25.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is 33.7%, 77% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.0% | 32.1% | 40.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 35.3% | 32.2% | 37.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.4% | 25.3% | 31.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.6% | 25.9% | 27.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Sri Lanka was 25.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 40.5% in 1992.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Sri Lanka ranks 71st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).