Analyses › Jobs
Jobs
Women's labour force participation has risen sharply since 2017-18
On MoSPI's usual-status series, the labour force participation rate of women aged 15 and over rose from 23.3% in 2017-18 to 41.7% in 2023-24, and was 40.0% in 2025. PLFS counts a woman who helps without pay in a household enterprise as a worker, so the rate measures participation in work the survey recognises. It does not measure paid employment.
What follows. The headline rate does not show what kind of work the rise is made of.
Women's labour force participation, ages 15 and over
2004-2013 average none published; 2014-2026 average 33.6%; latest 40.0% in 2025. Source, method and every year.
One of 37 readings of the dataset, rebuilt whenever the data are refreshed. Data vintage 2026-10-10. Cite as Raman, V.S., Some Perspective: India's Political Economy, 2004-2026, someperspective.info, CC BY 4.0.