Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in India
India: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 25.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in India, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in India stood at 25.1%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in India peaked at 25.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 13.0%, in 1991.
That places India 160th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.0% | — |
| 1992 | 13.3% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 13.5% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 13.7% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 14.0% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 14.3% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 14.5% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 14.8% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 15.0% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 15.3% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 15.4% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 15.4% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 15.5% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 15.6% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 15.8% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 16.2% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 16.3% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 16.4% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 16.6% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 18.9% | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 19.4% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 19.9% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 21.0% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 21.6% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 22.2% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 22.8% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 22.8% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 23.3% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 23.1% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 23.9% | +3.2% |
| 2024 | 24.6% | +3.1% |
| 2025 | 25.1% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 15.3% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.1% | 16.6% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.8% | 22.8% | 25.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 157 Côte d'Ivoire 29.0% compare
- 158 Zambia 28.3% compare
- 159 Timor-Leste 25.1% compare
- 161 Guinea-Bissau 24.5% compare
- 162 Angola 24.1% compare
- 163 Mali 23.6% 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 wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in India?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in India was 25.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 25.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.0% in 1991.
- How does India rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- India ranks 160th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.