Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) releases Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report 2025

Key facts

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above stood at 59.3% in 2025.
• LFPR for males was 79.1% and for females 40.0%.
• Workforce Participation Rate (WPR) for persons aged 15 years and above was 57.4%.
• WPR for males was 76.6% and for females 38.8%.
• Unemployment rate (UR) for persons aged 15 years and above was 3.1% in 2025.
• Rural unemployment rate was 2.4% and urban unemployment rate was 4.8%.
• Youth unemployment rate (15–29 years) declined from 10.3% in 2024 to 9.9% in 2025.
• Share of self-employed workers declined from 57.5% in 2024 to 56.2% in 2025.
• Share of regular wage/salaried employment increased to 23.6% in 2025.
• Share of employment in agriculture declined from 44.8% in 2024 to 43.0% in 2025.
• Share of employment in manufacturing increased from 11.6% to 12.1%.
• Share of employment in services increased from 12.2% to 13.1%.
• 44.4% of females cited childcare and domestic responsibilities as the main reason for not participating in the labour force.
• 69.8% of males cited education as the main reason for not being in the labour force.
• Average years of formal education for persons aged 15 years and above was 10.0 years.
• 67.8% of the population had attained at least secondary education.
• Only 4.2% of persons aged 15–59 years had received formal vocational or technical training.
• 25.0% of persons aged 15–29 years were not in employment, education or training (NEET).
• Total number of employed persons aged 15 years and above was estimated at 61.6 crore.