Economy, jobs and prices in Southern Province, Sri Lanka: official figures
Southern Province produced goods and services worth Rs. 2,672.4 billion in 2024 at current prices, 8.9% of Sri Lanka's GDP (4th largest of the 9 provinces), according to the Central Bank's provisional provincial GDP estimates.
What is GDP per person in Southern Province?
Divided by the population counted in the 2024 census, Southern Province's output comes to about Rs. 1,025,211 per resident in 2024, 3rd lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: Rs. 1,372,640).
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (from Department of Census and Statistics national accounts) · saved copyWhat are the main industries in Southern Province?
In 2024 agriculture made up 12.0% of Southern Province's value added, industry 20.8% and services 67.2% (Sri Lanka: 9.1%, 28.0% and 62.9%).
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (from Department of Census and Statistics national accounts) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Southern Province?
5.3% of Southern Province's labour force was unemployed in 2025, according to the Labour Force Survey, the highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 3.9%). The rate was 8.2% for women and 3.7% for men (Sri Lanka: 6.1% and 2.8%).
Source: Department of Census and Statistics · saved copyWhat jobs do people in Southern Province do?
30.0% of working people in Southern Province were employed in agriculture in 2025, 24.2% in industry and 45.8% in services; the farm share is 5th highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 23.9%, 26.2% and 49.8%).
Source: Department of Census and Statistics · saved copyHow many people from Southern Province go abroad for work?
34,194 people from Southern Province left for jobs abroad in 2025 (22,529 men and 11,665 women), according to provisional Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment figures: 13.1 per 1,000 residents, 4th lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 14.3).
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copyWhat is the average household income in Southern Province?
Households in Southern Province had an average income of Rs. 68,410 a month in the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (median Rs. 50,270), 3rd highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: Rs. 76,414, median Rs. 53,333). The survey is the latest with provincial results.
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copyMore figures
- Southern Province's nominal GDP grew by 2.9% between 2023 and 2024 at current prices, before inflation, the slowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 9.0%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (from Department of Census and Statistics national accounts) · saved copy
- Households in Southern Province spent an average of Rs. 57,854 a month in 2019 (Sri Lanka: Rs. 63,130), and the Gini coefficient of household income was 0.42 (Sri Lanka: 0.46; higher means more unequal). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
- 798,445 motor vehicles held a valid revenue licence in Southern Province in 2025 (provisional), about 306 per 1,000 residents (Sri Lanka: 289). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
How Southern Province compares with other provinces
Provincial GDP per resident (current prices) (2024)
Southern Province ranks 7 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Provincial GDP per resident (current prices) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Central Province | Rs. 1,179,930 |
| 4 | Northern Province | Rs. 1,149,202 |
| 5 | Sabaragamuwa Province | Rs. 1,135,141 |
| 6 | Uva Province | Rs. 1,028,268 |
| 7 | Southern Province | Rs. 1,025,211 |
| 8 | North Central Province | Rs. 971,611 |
| 9 | Eastern Province | Rs. 839,061 |
Unemployment rate (2025)
Southern Province ranks 1 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Province | 5.3% |
| 2 | Central Province | 4.8% |
| 3 | Uva Province | 4.5% |
| 4 | Sabaragamuwa Province | 4.2% |
| 5 | North Western Province | 4.0% |
| 6 | North Central Province | 3.6% |
| 7 | Western Province | 3.1% |
More on Southern Province: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · Sri Lanka
Sources
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources): Economic and Social Statistics of Sri Lanka 2026, chapter 2: Tables 2.4 (vehicles, Provincial Departments of Motor Traffic), 2.13, 2.16 and 2.18 (HIES 2019, Department of Census and Statistics), 2.20 (Ministry of Education), 2.26 (Department of Examinations), 2.30 (University Grants Commission) and 2.39 (Ministry of Health), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 babb9cbb27c5…)
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources): Economic and Social Statistics of Sri Lanka 2026, chapter 3: Tables 3.21 (mid-year population, Registrar General's Department) and 3.32 (departures for foreign employment, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fcfc004b2129…)
- Department of Census and Statistics: Sri Lanka Labour Force Survey Annual Bulletin 2025: Table 2.2 (employment by industry) and Table 3.3 (unemployment by province), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 48a8863a4643…)
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (from Department of Census and Statistics national accounts): Provincial Gross Domestic Product (PGDP) 2024, press release of 22 December 2025: Tables 1-3, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bfe27596d2d7…)
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