Share of employment in agriculture in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of employment in agriculture was 25.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in Sri Lanka, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 25.9% for share of employment in agriculture in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Sri Lanka peaked at 40.5% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 2019.
Sri Lanka ranks 71st of 186 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.
Share of employment in agriculture in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | 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% |
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 share of employment in agriculture in Sri Lanka?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Sri Lanka was 25.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 40.5% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Sri Lanka ranks 71st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture 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, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of working people employed in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.