Unemployment rate in India
India: Unemployment rate was 4.22 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
4.22
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
116th
of 186 countries
All-time high
7.86
in 2020
All-time low
4.17
in 2023
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in India, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate in India stood at 4.22.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and down 44.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in India peaked at 7.86 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.17, in 2023.
India ranks 116th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.64 | — |
| 1992 | 7.65 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 7.66 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 7.59 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 7.57 | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 7.54 | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 7.57 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 7.6 | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 7.58 | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 7.59 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 7.61 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 7.68 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 7.63 | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 7.6 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 7.55 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 7.55 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7.56 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 7.63 | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 7.64 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 7.63 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 7.61 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 7.64 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 7.68 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 7.66 | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 7.63 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 7.61 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 7.63 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 7.65 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 6.51 | -14.9% |
| 2020 | 7.86 | +20.7% |
| 2021 | 6.38 | -18.8% |
| 2022 | 4.82 | -24.4% |
| 2023 | 4.17 | -13.5% |
| 2024 | 4.17 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4.22 | +1.1% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 4.22 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.06, 83% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 4.22 is above the median for South Asia, which is 4.11, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.6 | 7.54 | 7.66 | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.6 | 7.55 | 7.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.52 | 6.51 | 7.68 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.27 | 4.17 | 7.86 | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 113 Maldives 4.51 compare
- 114 Democratic Republic of Congo 4.43 compare
- 115 Turkmenistan 4.27 compare
- 117 United States 4.2 compare
- 118 Australia 4.09 compare
- 119 Sri Lanka 4 compare
More work & labour data for India
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5078 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 876,613 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 782,365 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 743,542 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 761,710 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 1.51 million 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in India?
- Unemployment rate in India was 4.22 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 7.86 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.17 in 2023.
- How does India rank for unemployment rate?
- India ranks 116th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).