Productivity vs. educational attainment in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Productivity vs. educational attainment was 17.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
17.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
84th
of 130 countries
All-time high
20.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2021
All-time low
4.2 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 1980
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Productivity vs. educational attainment in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 17.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour for productivity vs. educational attainment in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, productivity vs. educational attainment in Sri Lanka peaked at 20.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.2 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, in 1980.
That places Sri Lanka 84th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Productivity vs. educational attainment in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | — |
| 1971 | 5.33 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -3.4% |
| 1972 | 5.36 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 5.58 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.2% |
| 1974 | 5.78 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 5.53 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -4.2% |
| 1976 | 5.05 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -8.7% |
| 1977 | 4.71 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -6.9% |
| 1978 | 4.66 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 4.23 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -9.1% |
| 1980 | 4.2 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 4.44 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 4.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 4.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 4.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 4.73 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +9.7% |
| 1986 | 4.91 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 5.09 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 5.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 5.33 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 5.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 5.64 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 6.13 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.8% |
| 1993 | 6.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 6.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +9.2% |
| 1995 | 7 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 7.15 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 7.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.6% |
| 1998 | 7.49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 7.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 6.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 7.15 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 7.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.5% |
| 2003 | 8.4 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 7.73 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -8.0% |
| 2005 | 7.69 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 9.12 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +18.6% |
| 2007 | 10.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.5% |
| 2008 | 10.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 11.59 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +13.7% |
| 2010 | 12.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +10.6% |
| 2011 | 14.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +16.1% |
| 2012 | 16.15 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.5% |
| 2013 | 16.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 16.27 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 17.46 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 17.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 17.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 19.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 19.12 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 19.69 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 20.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 18.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -10.5% |
| 2023 | 17.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -2.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 17.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.42 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 86% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4.23 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 5.78 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4.2 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 5.33 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.7 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 5.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 7.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.7 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 6.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 11.59 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.78 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 12.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 19.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 17.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 20.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 81 Albania 17.84 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 82 China 17.69 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 83 Moldova 17.57 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 85 Tunisia 16.8 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 86 Namibia 16.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 87 Lebanon 16.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is productivity vs. educational attainment in Sri Lanka?
- Productivity vs. educational attainment in Sri Lanka was 17.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 20.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2021.
- What is the lowest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 1980.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for productivity vs. educational attainment?
- Sri Lanka ranks 84th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is productivity vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.