India — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for India, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for India was 4.22% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 7.86% in 2020. The lowest was 4.17% in 2023 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.73% per year.
India ranks 117 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 63%. The median for South Asia is 4.22%, so India sits level with it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 46% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 45%. Within South Asia it ranks 3 of 6 economies; Sri Lanka (4.00%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 24% in 2022. That is 32% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 75th of 187 in 1991 → 87th of 187 in 2000 → 83rd of 187 in 2010 → 73rd of 187 in 2020 → 112th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.22% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 4.17% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 4.17% | -0.7 pp |
| 2022 | 4.82% | -1.6 pp |
| 2021 | 6.38% | -1.5 pp |
| 2020 | 7.86% | +1.3 pp |
| 2019 | 6.51% | -1.1 pp |
| 2018 | 7.65% | +0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 7.63% | +0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 7.61% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 7.63% | -0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 7.66% | -0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 7.68% | +0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 7.65% | +0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 7.61% | -0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 7.63% | -0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 7.64% | +0.0 pp |
| 2008 | 7.63% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 7.56% | +0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 7.55% | +0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 7.55% | -0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 7.6% | -0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 7.63% | -0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 7.68% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 7.61% | +0.0 pp |
| 2000 | 7.59% | +0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 7.58% | -0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 7.6% | +0.0 pp |
| 1997 | 7.57% | +0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 7.54% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 7.57% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 7.59% | -0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 7.66% | +0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 7.65% | +0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 7.64% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was India’s Unemployment in 1992?
7.65% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is India’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -44.8% in total — about 1.7% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 4.22%; 2024: 4.17%; 2023: 4.17%; 2022: 4.82%; 2021: 6.38%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.