Share of formal employment by industry and sex: Non-agricultural in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Share of formal employment by industry and sex: Non-agricultural was 29.19 % in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
29.19 %
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
27th
of 39 countries
All-time high
82.26 %
in 2011
All-time low
25.22 %
in 2015
Years of data
13
2010–2023

Share of formal employment by industry and sex: Non-agricultural in Sri Lanka, 2010–2023

204060802010201620232010: 80.7 %2011: 82.3 %2013: 26.5 %2014: 29.5 %2015: 25.2 %2016: 27.6 %2017: 27.1 %2018: 31.8 %2019: 32.4 %2020: 29.4 %2021: 31.9 %2022: 29.7 %2023: 29.2 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of formal employment by industry and sex: non-agricultural in Sri Lanka is 29.19 %, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of formal employment by industry and sex: non-agricultural in Sri Lanka peaked at 82.26 % in 2011 and was at its lowest, 25.22 %, in 2015.

Sri Lanka ranks 27th of 39 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of formal employment by industry and sex: Non-agricultural in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Share of formal employment by industry and sex: Non-agricultural agrifood systems — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Non-agricultural agrifood systems in Sri Lanka, 2010 to 2023.
Year % Change
2010 80.65 %
2011 82.26 % +2.0%
2013 26.54 % -67.7%
2014 29.54 % +11.3%
2015 25.22 % -14.6%
2016 27.58 % +9.4%
2017 27.11 % -1.7%
2018 31.78 % +17.2%
2019 32.4 % +2.0%
2020 29.44 % -9.1%
2021 31.87 % +8.3%
2022 29.73 % -6.7%
2023 29.19 % -1.8%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 29.19 % is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 56.77 %, 51% of the median. (20 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 40.34 % 25.22 % 82.26 % 9
2020s 30.06 % 29.19 % 31.87 % 4

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 24 Guatemala 37.2 % compare
  2. 25 Palestine 33.68 % compare
  3. 26 Peru 33.47 % compare
  4. 28 Zimbabwe 28.51 % compare
  5. 29 Egypt 25.44 % compare
  6. 30 Rwanda 22.62 % compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of formal employment by industry and sex: non-agricultural in Sri Lanka?
Share of formal employment by industry and sex: non-agricultural in Sri Lanka was 29.19 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest share of formal employment by industry and sex: non-agricultural recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 82.26 % in 2011.
What is the lowest share of formal employment by industry and sex: non-agricultural recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 25.22 % in 2015.
How does Sri Lanka rank for share of formal employment by industry and sex: non-agricultural?
Sri Lanka ranks 27th out of 39 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of formal employment by industry and sex: non-agricultural rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Share of formal employment by industry and sex: Non-agricultural agrifood systems — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Non-agricultural agrifood systems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of formal employment by industry and sex: Non-agricultural in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-formal-employment-by-industry-and-sex-non-agricultural-agrifood-systems-value-2/sri-lanka/

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<a href="https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-formal-employment-by-industry-and-sex-non-agricultural-agrifood-systems-value-2/sri-lanka/">Share of formal employment by industry and sex: Non-agricultural in Sri Lanka</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Share of formal employment by industry and sex: Non-agricultural agrifood systems — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Non-agricultural agrifood systems
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
42 places, 511 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed

The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.