India Unemployment Rate

Name: India Unemployment Rate
Creator: TRADING ECONOMICS
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: India,Unemployment Rate,data,chart,actual,historical,values,calendar,forecast,graph,2025,2026,2027

The unemployment rate in India inched higher to 5.2% in April of 2026 from 5.1% in the previous month, reflecting the highest ratio since October of the previous year. The slight deterioration in the labor market was aligned with macroeconomic headwinds in India in recent weeks. The surge in energy prices due to the halt of commercial vessel flows in the Persian Gulf weakened the rupee and dampened the purchasing power for household and businesses. The unemployment rate rose sharply in rural areas (4.6% vs 4.3% in March) and eased in urban areas (6.6% vs 6.8%). This was despite a pullback in the labor force participation rate (55.0% vs 55.4%) in the country. source: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI)

Unemployment Rate in India increased to 5.20 percent in April from 5.10 percent in March of 2026. Unemployment Rate in India averaged 7.66 percent from 2018 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 20.80 percent in June of 2020 and a record low of 4.70 percent in November of 2025. This page provides - India Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. India Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in India increased to 5.20 percent in April from 5.10 percent in March of 2026. Unemployment Rate in India is expected to be 5.00 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the India Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 5.40 percent in 2027, according to our econometric models.

Related	Last	Previous	Unit	Reference
Employment Rate	52.60	53.20	percent	Mar 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate	55.00	55.40	percent	Apr 2026
Minimum Wages	178.00	178.00	INR/Day	Dec 2026
Population	1411.02	1398.60	Million	Dec 2025
Retirement Age Men	60.00	60.00	Years	Dec 2026
Retirement Age Women	60.00	60.00	Years	Dec 2026
Unemployment Rate	5.20	5.10	percent	Apr 2026

India Unemployment Rate

In India, the unemployment rate is estimated by directly interviewing a large sample of randomly selected households. Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Consumer Pyramids panel of households includes over 174,405 households including over 522,000 members who are over 15 years old.

	Actual	Previous	Highest	Lowest	Dates	Unit	Frequency
	5.20	5.10	20.80	4.70	2018 - 2026	percent	Monthly

Compare: Unemployment Rate by Country

News Stream

India Unemployment Rate Rises to 6-Month High

The unemployment rate in India inched higher to 5.2% in April of 2026 from 5.1% in the previous month, reflecting the highest ratio since October of the previous year. The slight deterioration in the labor market was aligned with macroeconomic headwinds in India in recent weeks. The surge in energy prices due to the halt of commercial vessel flows in the Persian Gulf weakened the rupee and dampened the purchasing power for household and businesses. The unemployment rate rose sharply in rural areas (4.6% vs 4.3% in March) and eased in urban areas (6.6% vs 6.8%). This was despite a pullback in the labor force participation rate (55.0% vs 55.4%) in the country.

2026-05-15

India’s Unemployment Rate Climbs to 5.1% in March

India’s unemployment rate increased to 5.1% in March 2026, up from 4.9% in February, matching market expectations and marking the highest level since October 2025. The rise was driven by higher joblessness in both urban areas (6.8% vs. 6.6%) and rural regions (4.3% vs. 4.2%). Women faced a notable uptick in unemployment, with urban female joblessness rising to 9.0% (from 8.7%) and rural female unemployment reaching 4.1% (from 4.0%). Male unemployment also inched higher, climbing to 6.1% (from 5.9%) in urban areas and 4.4% (from 4.2%) in rural regions. Meanwhile, the employment rate dipped to 52.6% from 53.2%, and the labor force participation rate fell to 55.4% from 55.9%, signaling a slight weakening in overall labor market conditions.

2026-04-15

India Unemployment Rate Unexpectedly Drops

The unemployment rate in India inched down to 4.9% in February of 2026 from 5% in the previous month, contrasting with the market consensus that it would increase to 5.1%. The rate inched closer to the record low of 4.7% from November of the previous year, reflecting strength in the Indian labor market amid robustness in its manufacturing and government support against US tariffs. The unemployment rate fell sharply for urban residents (6.6% vs 6.5% in January), while that for rural residents was unchanged (at 4.2%). In the meantime, the labor force participation rate was unchanged at 55.9%.

2026-03-16