Unemployment Rate in Sri Lanka increased to 4.30 percent in the third quarter of 2025 from 3.80 percent in the second quarter of 2025. Unemployment Rate in Sri Lanka averaged 7.21 percent from 1991 until 2025, reaching an all time high of 16.60 percent in the second quarter of 1992 and a record low of 3.70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013. source: Department of Census and Statistics - Sri Lanka

Unemployment Rate in Sri Lanka is expected to be 4.10 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Sri Lanka Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 4.40 percent in 2026 and 4.30 percent in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2025-09-30 11:10 AM
Unemployment Rate
Q2 3.8% 3.8% 3.7%
2025-12-31 01:10 PM
Unemployment Rate
Q3 4.3% 3.8% 3.80%
2026-06-30 11:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Q4 4.3%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 8172638.00 8139605.00 Jun 2025
Population 23.10 22.97 Million Dec 2024
Unemployed Persons 318657.00 322331.00 Jun 2025
Unemployment Rate 4.30 3.80 percent Sep 2025
Youth Unemployment Rate 20.80 19.70 percent Jun 2025


Sri Lanka Unemployment Rate
In Sri Lanka, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
4.30 3.80 16.60 3.70 1991 - 2025 percent Quarterly