The unemployment rate in India was at 5.0% in September of 2026, below the median market consensus of 5.2% and unchanged from the five-month low in the previous month to maintain the relative resilience of the Indian labor market. The jobless rate held steady despite slight increases in both rural (4.2% vs 4.1% in August) and urban (6.9% vs 6.8%) unemployment. In the meantime, the labor force participation rate eased by 0.1 percentage point to 55.5%, as a drop in rural participation (58% vs 58.2%) offset a slight increase in urban participation (50.7% vs 50.4%). source: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI)

Unemployment Rate in India remained unchanged at 5 percent in September. Unemployment Rate in India averaged 7.39 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 October of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in India remained unchanged at 5 percent in September. Unemployment Rate in India is expected to be 5.50 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.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-09-15 10:30 AM
Unemployment Rate
Aug 5% 5.1% 5.2% 5.2%
2026-10-15 10:30 AM
Unemployment Rate
Sep 5% 5% 5.2% 5.20%
2026-11-15 10:30 AM
Unemployment Rate
Oct 5% 5.1%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employment Rate 52.70 52.80 percent Sep 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 55.50 55.60 percent Sep 2026
Minimum Wages 178.00 178.00 INR/Day Dec 2026
Population 1421.00 1408.00 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 5.00 5.00 percent Sep 2026
Wages 22698.65 21454.87 INR/Month Dec 2025


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
5.00 5.00 20.80 4.70 2018 - 2026 percent Monthly

News Stream
India Unemployment Rate Holds at 5-Month Low
The unemployment rate in India was at 5.0% in September of 2026, below the median market consensus of 5.2% and unchanged from the five-month low in the previous month to maintain the relative resilience of the Indian labor market. The jobless rate held steady despite slight increases in both rural (4.2% vs 4.1% in August) and urban (6.9% vs 6.8%) unemployment. In the meantime, the labor force participation rate eased by 0.1 percentage point to 55.5%, as a drop in rural participation (58% vs 58.2%) offset a slight increase in urban participation (50.7% vs 50.4%).
2026-10-15
India Jobless Rate Falls to 6-Month Low
India’s unemployment rate fell to 5.0% in August 2026 from 5.1% in July, coming in below the 5.2% market expectation and marking the lowest level since February. The decline was driven by rural areas, where unemployment dropped to 4.1% from 4.5%, the lowest level since December, while urban unemployment edged up to 6.8% from 6.7%. The improvement coincided with stronger labor-market participation, with the labor force participation rate rising to 55.6% from 55.4%, while the worker population ratio increased to 52.8% from 52.5%, its highest level since March. The rise in the employment ratio alongside higher labor-force participation points to stronger employment activity behind the decline in unemployment. Female labor-force participation also increased to 34.8% from 34.4%, led by rural participation, which rose to 39.4% from 38.8%.
2026-09-15
India Unemployment Rate Falls
The unemployment rate in India fell to 5.1% in July of 2026 from 5.5% in the previous month, the lowest in four months. The result reflected fresh robustness in the Indian labor market after the gradual increase in the unemployment rate since the start of the year, aligned with macroeconomic headwinds from soaring energy prices and pressure on the rupee. The unemployment rate fell sharply in rural areas (4.5% vs 5% in June), which offset the uptick in urban unemployment (6.7% vs 6.6%). The drop in unemployment coincided with a sharp increase in the labor force participation rate (55.4% vs 54.4%), pointing to lower unemployment from an increase in employment. Consequently, the employment rate surged to 52.5% from 51.4%.
2026-08-17