Unemployment Rate declines, Labour Force Participation Rate rises near 56%

Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation stated today the overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above increased to 55.8% during October-December 2025, compared to 55.1% in the previous quarter. Female LFPR (15 years and above) recorded a notable rise to 34.9% in October-December 2025, up from 33.7% during July-September 2025. The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for persons aged 15 years and above improved from 52.2% in July-September 2025 to 53.1% in October-December 2025.
Unemployment Rate (UR) is declining. The UR among persons aged 15 years and above in rural areas declined to 4.0% in October-December, 2025 from 4.4% in the previous quarter, driven by reduction in UR for both rural male and female. The urban unemployment rate for persons of age 15 years and above decreased to 6.7% as compared to 6.9% reported in the previous quarter, driven by a decline in urban male UR from 6.2% during July-September, 2025 to 5.9% in the current quarter.
The Rural WPR for persons aged 15 years and above continued to show a steady upward trend across both genders during April-June 2025 to October-December 2025. The Unemployment Rate (UR) for persons aged 15 years and above declined across both rural and urban sectors. The share of self-employed workers in rural areas increased to 63.2% during October-December 2025, compared to 62.8% in the last quarter. The agriculture sector continued to dominate rural employment, accounting for 58.5% of employed persons aged 15 years and above during October-December 2025, up from 57.7% in July-September 2025.
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First Published: Feb 10 2026 | 6:04 PM IST
