Which has higher unemployment, total (% of total labor force), Sri Lanka or United States of America?

United States of America, at 4.2% against 4.0% in Sri Lanka as of 2025.

What is the difference in unemployment, total (% of total labor force) between Sri Lanka and United States of America?

0.2%, with United States of America ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Sri Lanka and United States of America?

35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Sri Lanka vs United States of America: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)

Sri Lanka

4.0%

in 2025

United States of America

4.2%

in 2025

Sri Lanka rank

120th

United States of America rank

118th

Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) over time

Sri Lanka
United States of America

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 4.2% against 4.0% in Sri Lanka, a difference of 0.2%.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1991 it was Sri Lanka ahead.

Sri Lanka ranks 120th and United States of America ranks 118th of 187 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Sri Lanka averaged higher in 2 and United States of America in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Sri Lanka	United States of America	Difference	Ahead
1990s	12.0%	5.8%	6.2%	Sri Lanka
2000s	7.2%	5.5%	1.7%	Sri Lanka
2010s	4.3%	6.2%	1.9%	United States of America
2020s	4.6%	4.8%	0.2%	United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher unemployment, total (% of total labor force), Sri Lanka or United States of America?: United States of America, at 4.2% against 4.0% in Sri Lanka as of 2025.
What is the difference in unemployment, total (% of total labor force) between Sri Lanka and United States of America?: 0.2%, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sri Lanka and United States of America?: 35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.
How do Sri Lanka and United States of America rank globally for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?: Sri Lanka ranks 120th and United States of America ranks 118th of 187 countries.
Where does this data come from?: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Sri Lanka vs United States of America: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force). Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/unemployment-total-percent-of-total-labor-force-modeled-ilo-estimate/sri-lanka/united-states/

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<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/unemployment-total-percent-of-total-labor-force-modeled-ilo-estimate/sri-lanka/united-states/">Sri Lanka vs United States of America: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 235 places, 8,211 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed: 03 September 2026

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.