National Statistics Office (NSO) Releases PLFS Monthly Bulletin: Unemployment Rate Drops to 5.1% in July 2026

Key facts

• The National Statistics Office (NSO) reported India's unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above declined to 5.1% in July 2026 from 5.5% in June 2026.
• Rural unemployment rate fell to 4.5% in July from 5.0% in June, while urban unemployment rate remained nearly steady at 6.7% against 6.6% in June.
• Urban unemployment rate in July 2026 was 0.5 percentage points lower than the 7.2% recorded in July 2025.
• Male unemployment rate declined to 5.0% in July from 5.3% in June, while female unemployment rate in urban areas rose to 8.8% from 8.4% month-on-month.
• The overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) rose to 55.4% in July from 54.4% in June, with rural LFPR climbing to 58.0% and urban LFPR to 50.4%.
• Female LFPR increased to 34.4% in July from 32.7% in June, and the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) rose to 52.5% from 51.4%.
• The July 2026 bulletin is the sixteenth in the monthly series since the PLFS methodology was revised from January 2025, based on a sample of 3,71,021 persons.