Average hourly earnings of employees in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Average hourly earnings of employees was 2.82 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
2.82 international-$ in 2021 prices
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
60th
of 64 countries
All-time high
4.08 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2021
All-time low
1.85 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2010
Years of data
13
2010–2023

Average hourly earnings of employees in Sri Lanka, 2010–2023

012342010201620232010: 1.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2011: 2.1 international-$ in 2021 prices2013: 2.3 international-$ in 2021 prices2014: 2.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2015: 2.8 international-$ in 2021 prices2016: 2.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2017: 3.4 international-$ in 2021 prices2018: 3.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2019: 3.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2020: 3.6 international-$ in 2021 prices2021: 4.1 international-$ in 2021 prices2022: 2.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2023: 2.8 international-$ in 2021 prices

Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices.

Analysis

Sri Lanka recorded 2.82 international-$ in 2021 prices for average hourly earnings of employees in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% on the previous year and up 21.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average hourly earnings of employees in Sri Lanka peaked at 4.08 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.85 international-$ in 2021 prices, in 2010.

Sri Lanka ranks 60th of 64 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 2.77 international-$ in 2021 prices 1.85 international-$ in 2021 prices 3.55 international-$ in 2021 prices 9
2020s 3.37 international-$ in 2021 prices 2.82 international-$ in 2021 prices 4.08 international-$ in 2021 prices 4

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 57 Jamaica 3.04 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  2. 58 Mali 2.99 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  3. 59 Myanmar 2.94 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  4. 61 South Africa 2.76 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  5. 62 Uganda 2.67 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  6. 63 Bangladesh 2.24 international-$ in 2021 prices compare

See the full ranking of 64 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is average hourly earnings of employees in Sri Lanka?
Average hourly earnings of employees in Sri Lanka was 2.82 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2023, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average hourly earnings of employees recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 4.08 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2021.
What is the lowest average hourly earnings of employees recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 1.85 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2010.
How does Sri Lanka rank for average hourly earnings of employees?
Sri Lanka ranks 60th out of 64 countries with data for 2023.
Is average hourly earnings of employees rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.7%. 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 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average hourly earnings of employees. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Average hourly earnings of employees
Unit
international-$ in 2021 prices
Source
International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
64 places, 923 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Gross remuneration for time worked or work done, vacation, and other types of paid leave.