Women's labour force participation in India
The ILO estimates that 32.4% of women aged 15 and over in India were in the labour force in 2025. The value for 2025 is the highest since 2006.
India, 2025
32.4%
Change from 2024
0percentage points
World, 2025
48.7%
Median of G20 countries, 2025
53.7%
Position in 2025
161st of 181
Women's labour force participation in India over time
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India
World
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of women aged 15 and over. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates). Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years. Dashed lines are projections.
| Period | India | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 32.4% | 48.7% |
| 2024 | 32.4% | 48.9% |
| 2023 | 31.0% | 48.8% |
| 2022 | 29.3% | 48.3% |
| 2021 | 27.7% | 47.9% |
| 2020 | 26.0% | 47.0% |
| 2019 | 26.5% | 48.3% |
| 2018 | 26.6% | 48.3% |
| 2017 | 26.6% | 48.4% |
| 2016 | 26.6% | 48.5% |
Flags: f Projection . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of 0 percentage points from 32.4% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 26.6%, the figure has changed by +5.8 percentage points.
- Among the 181 countries with data for 2025, India has the 161st highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 48.7%.
More for India
All statistics for India
Labour force participation
55.7%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of the unemployment rate
4.2%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of youth unemployment
16.0%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment-to-population ratio
53.3%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment in agriculture
41.6%
2025 · World Bank
Employment in industry
25.8%
2025 · World Bank