India’s overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and Worker Population Ratio (WPR) rose in September 2026 compared with the same month last year, indicating a year-on-year improvement in employment, according to figures the National Statistics Office (NSO) released on Thursday.
The overall LFPR increased by 0.2 percentage points, from 55.3 per cent in September 2025 to 55.5 per cent in September 2026. During the same period, rural LFPR rose by 0.6 percentage points, from 57.4 per cent to 58.0 per cent, while urban LFPR declined marginally by 0.2 percentage points, from 50.9 per cent to 50.7 per cent.
However, urban LFPR improved by 0.3 percentage points month-on-month, reaching 50.7 per cent in September 2026 compared with August.
The overall female LFPR stood at 34.6 per cent in September 2026, down from 34.8 per cent in August. Urban female LFPR, however, increased by 0.5 percentage points month-on-month, from 25.4 per cent to 25.9 per cent, reaching its highest level since October 2025.
On a year-on-year basis, overall female LFPR rose by 0.5 percentage points, from 34.1 per cent in September 2025 to 34.6 per cent in September 2026. Rural female LFPR increased by 1.0 percentage point, from 37.9 per cent to 38.9 per cent, while urban female LFPR remained broadly stable at around 26 per cent.
The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) remained broadly stable at 52.7 per cent in September 2026. Urban WPR reached its highest level since October 2025, at 47.2 per cent. Both men and women contributed to this improvement, with urban male WPR rising from 70.7 per cent to 71.0 per cent and urban female WPR increasing from 23.2 per cent to 23.5 per cent.
On a year-on-year basis, overall WPR increased by 0.3 percentage points, from 52.4 per cent in September 2025 to 52.7 per cent in September 2026.
The overall unemployment rate (UR) fell by 0.2 percentage points year-on-year to 5.0 per cent in September 2026. During the same period, the rural unemployment rate declined by 0.4 percentage points, from 4.6 per cent to 4.2 per cent. In urban areas, the unemployment rate remained broadly stable at 6.8 per cent in September.