NEW DELHI, Nov 10: India’s unemployment rate among people aged 15 years and above fell to 5.1 per cent in July-September 2026 from 5.4 per cent in the preceding April-June quarter, according to the quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey report.
The report, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, said the decline was driven by an improvement in rural areas. Rural unemployment fell from 4.8 per cent to 4.3 per cent, while urban unemployment rose marginally from 6.7 per cent to 6.8 per cent.
The overall Labour Force Participation Rate rose to 55.5 per cent from 54.6 per cent. The Worker Population Ratio increased from 51.7 per cent to 52.7 per cent.
In rural areas, the Worker Population Ratio rose from 54.2 per cent to 55.6 per cent. It remained nearly unchanged at 46.9 per cent in urban areas.
Women’s Labour Force Participation Rate increased from 33.2 per cent to 34.7 per cent, while the Worker Population Ratio for women rose from 31.3 per cent to 32.8 per cent.
The share of rural workers employed in agriculture increased from 52.9 per cent in April-June to 56.7 per cent in July-September. The share of self-employed workers in rural areas rose from 61.4 per cent to 62.7 per cent, while regular wage employment in urban areas increased marginally to 49.6 per cent.
The ministry estimated that an average of about 57.9 crore people aged 15 years and above were employed in the country during the July-September quarter, including 40.5 crore men and 17.4 crore women.
