India's unemployment rate rises to 3.2% in 2024 from 3.1% in 2023
This story was originally published at 17:50 IST on 9 April 2025
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--MoSPI: All-India unemployment rate 3.2% in 2024 vs 3.1% in 2023
--MoSPI: All-India rural unemployment rate 2.5% in 2024 vs 2.4% in 2023
--MoSPI: All-India urban unemployment rate 5.0% in 2024 vs 5.2% in 2023
NEW DELHI - India's unemployment rate rose marginally to 3.2% in 2024 from 3.1% in 2023, with joblessness rising in rural areas and falling in urban areas, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey report released by the statistics ministry on Wednesday.
The unemployment rate in rural areas rose to 2.5% in 2024 from 2.4% in 2023, while for urban areas it fell to 5.0% last year from 5.2% in 2023. The unemployment rate rose for both males and females at an all India level by 10 basis points each to 3.3% and 3.1%, respectively.
The labour force participation rate--the percentage of persons working or seeking or available for work--inched lower to 59.6% last year from 59.8% in 2023, data showed. The labour force participation rate was higher in rural areas at 62.9% compared to urban areas at 52.2%.
The overall female labour force participation rate in 2024 fell to 40.3% from 41.3% a year ago. The female labour force participation rate was also much lower than the male participation rate of 79.2% in 2024, which improved from 78.3% in 2023. The worker population ratio, which is the percentage of employed persons in the population, fell to 57.7% in 2024 from 58.0% in the previous year.
The overall unemployment rate, as measured by the current weekly status, was 4.9% in 2024, a tad lower than 5.0% in 2023. The activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of last 7 days preceding the date of survey is known as the current weekly status of the person.
The Periodic Labour Force Survey is the only official measure of employment in the country. It is currently carried out on a quarterly basis in urban areas and annually in rural areas. The statistics ministry is expected to soon start collecting and publishing the data on a monthly basis. End
Reported by Shubham Rana
Edited by Vandana Hingorani
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