The Department of Census and Statistics’ (DCS) Quarterly Report of Sri Lanka Labour Force Survey estimates the economically active population was 8.5 million during the third quarter of 2017.

Defined as the number of employed people aged 15 and above, 63.1 percent of this population was male while 36.9 percent were female. The report also states that the economically inactive population was 7.4 million.

The labour force participation rate was 53.6 percent during this period. The male and female participation rates were 73.6 percent and 36.6 percent respectively. This marks a gradual increase in the female labour participation rate of 32.9 percent in 2012.

According to DCS General Director Dr. A. J. Satharasinghe, the report was based on a quarterly sample of 6,440 housing units.