Employment rate in India
India: Employment rate was 53.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment rate in India, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment rate in India is 53.3%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in India peaked at 55.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 47.5%, in 2020.
That places India 128th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.1% | 53.5% | 55.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 54.1% | 51.4% | 55.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.2% | 48.5% | 50.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.1% | 47.5% | 53.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More work & labour data for India
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 34.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 77.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 41.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 32.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 31.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 15.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 45.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in India?
- Employment rate in India was 53.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment rate recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 55.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.5% in 2020.
- How does India rank for employment rate?
- India ranks 128th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.