India’s unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above rose marginally to 4.8 percent in December 2025, compared with 4.7 percent in November, indicating largely stable labour market conditions with a slight uptick driven by urban areas.
Urban Unemployment Ticks Higher, Rural Rate Steady
The unemployment rate remained unchanged in rural areas at 3.9 percent during December 2025. In contrast, urban unemployment increased to 6.7 percent from 6.5 percent in the previous month. Among rural males aged 15 years and above, the unemployment rate stayed low and stable at 4.1 percent.Urban female unemployment showed a mild improvement, easing to 9.1 percent in December from 9.3 percent in November. In the remaining gender segment, unemployment rose slightly but continued to remain below levels seen during the middle of the year.
Worker Population Ratio Shows Gradual Improvement
The Worker Population Ratio for those aged 15 years and above improved gradually in December.Among rural males, the ratio increased to 76 percent from 75.4 percent in November. Urban male participation declined to 70.4 percent from 70.9 percent, bringing the overall male Worker Population Ratio to 74.1 percent.
For females, rural participation edged up to 38.6 percent from 38.4 percent, while urban female participation remained around 23 percent. This lifted the overall female Worker Population Ratio to 33.6 percent in December, up from 33.4 percent in November.
Overall, the Worker Population Ratio stood at 53.4 percent in December 2025, compared with 53.2 percent in the previous month.
Labour Force Participation Moves Up Overall
Labour force participation for persons aged 15 years and above continued to trend upward in December.The overall Labour Force Participation Rate rose to 56.1 percent from 55.8 percent in November. In rural areas, participation increased to 59 percent from 58.6 percent. Urban participation, however, dipped marginally to 50.2 percent from 50.4 percent.
Female labour force participation also improved at the national level, rising to 35.3 percent in December from 35.1 percent in November. Rural female participation increased to 40.1 percent from 39.7 percent, while urban female participation slipped slightly to 25.3 percent from 25.5 percent.
Survey Coverage and Methodology Update
The monthly estimates are based on information collected from 3,73,990 individuals across the country. The Worker Population Ratio represents the proportion of employed persons within the total population.To meet the demand for high-frequency labour market indicators with wider coverage, the sampling methodology of the Periodic Labour Force Survey was revamped from January 2025. Monthly bulletins from April to November 2025 have already been released, with the December 2025 bulletin marking the ninth edition in the current series issued by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
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