ILO studies put heat stress losses in Sri Lanka and the Maldives at the equivalent of 147,000 full-time jobs

30 October 2026

New country studies by the International Labour Organization look at workplace heat stress in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
By 2040, even on a low-emissions pathway, working time lost to heat stress will equal about 147,000 full-time jobs across the two countries.
That is about 145,000 in Sri Lanka and about 2,400 in the Maldives.
Combined annual losses to national output are put at about US$ 26.6 billion by 2040, with roughly US$ 26 billion in Sri Lanka and US$ 576 million in the Maldives.
The studies say the harm is not only in the future, and that in 2023 heat stress already cost both countries working time and output compared with the 1985 to 2014 reference period.
Agriculture is the sector likely to be hit hardest in Sri Lanka, followed by services, manufacturing and construction.
In the Maldives the impact will fall most on services and construction.