India: Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 2.66 percentage points from 4.94% in 2019. Since 1994 it is down 1.16 percentage points from 3.44% 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.

How it compares

In 2024, India had the 54th highest value of the 63 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 2024 ranking

• Hong Kong SAR, China — 51st of 63: 3.03%
• Singapore — 52nd of 63: 2.84%
• Bhutan — 53rd of 63: 2.78%
• Mexico — 55th of 63: 2.26%
• Argentina — 56th of 63: 2.12%
• El Salvador — 57th of 63: 2.05%

What this measures

The percentage of the labor force with a basic level of education who are unemployed. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).

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

All 12 values

Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) in nearby economies

• Bhutan — 2.78% (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 3.16% (2023)

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

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Questions people ask

What is India's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education)?

2.28% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1994?

It is down 1.16 percentage points from 3.44% in 1994. The highest value was 6.39% in 2018 and the lowest 2.28% in 2024.

How does India rank?

54th highest of 63 economies with data for 2024.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 2026.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.BASC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 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.

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