Labour force participation in India
The ILO estimates that 55.7% of people aged 15 and over in India were in the labour force in 2025. The value for 2025 is the highest since 2008.
India, 2025
55.7%
Change from 2024
0percentage points
World, 2025
60.8%
Median of G20 countries, 2025
61.7%
Position in 2025
134th of 181
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 working-age population 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 | 55.7% | 60.8% |
| 2024 | 55.6% | 61.0% |
| 2023 | 54.7% | 61.0% |
| 2022 | 53.6% | 60.7% |
| 2021 | 52.5% | 60.4% |
| 2020 | 51.5% | 59.7% |
| 2019 | 52.3% | 61.0% |
| 2018 | 52.5% | 61.2% |
| 2017 | 52.7% | 61.3% |
| 2016 | 52.9% | 61.5% |
Flags: f Projection . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of 0 percentage points from 55.6% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 53.0%, the figure has changed by +2.6 percentage points.
- Among the 181 countries with data for 2025, India has the 134th highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 60.8%.
More for India
All statistics for India
Women's labour force participation
32.4%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment-to-population ratio
53.3%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of the unemployment rate
4.2%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of youth unemployment
16.0%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment in agriculture
41.6%
2025 · World Bank
Employment in industry
25.8%
2025 · World Bank