India: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 6.28 percentage points from 46.49% in 2020. Since 1994 it is down 4.06 percentage points from 56.83% in 1994. The World Bank has no value for 19 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

From 2018 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.45 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 92% of the movement over 8 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, India had the 69th highest value of the 83 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to India in the 2025 ranking

• Hong Kong SAR, China — 66th of 83: 54.91%
• Serbia — 67th of 83: 54.7%
• Bulgaria — 68th of 83: 53.19%
• France — 70th of 83: 52.57%
• Belgium — 71st of 83: 52.49%
• Costa Rica — 72nd of 83: 52.39%

What this measures

Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.

Limitations: Comparability of employment-to-population ratios across countries is affected most significantly by variations in the definitions used for the employment and population figures. Differences result from age coverage, such as the lower and upper bounds for labor force activity. Estimates of both employment and population are also likely to vary according to whether members of the armed forces are included. Another area with scope for measurement differences has to do with the national treatment of particular groups of workers. The international definition of employment calls for inclusion of all persons who worked for at least one hour during the reference period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 13 values

Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 56.76% (2024)
• Bhutan — 62.56% (2025)
• Sri Lanka — 45.3% (2024)

More social protection & labor data for India

• Net migration — -495,753 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 238,643 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 42,610 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 15.86% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 45.15% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 31.2% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 34.88% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is India's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?

52.77% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1994?

It is down 4.06 percentage points from 56.83% in 1994. The highest value was 57.95% in 2005 and the lowest 43.92% in 2018.

How does India rank?

69th highest of 83 economies with data for 2025.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.