Labour force participation (LFPR)
LFPR = Labour Force Participation Rate- How often
- Every month15th of the following month
- Next release
- Mon 16 NovIn 4 days · 4:00 PM
September 2026, down from 55.6% in August 2026.
Events on this chart
Source: NSO, MoSPI, released 15 Oct 2026 · Chart: Clarity UPSC
- Previous
- 55.6%Aug 2026
- Highest
- 56.1%Dec 2025
- Lowest
- 54.2%Jun 2025
18 readings since Apr 2025.
Story
The share of people aged 15 and above who are working or looking for work.
What is happening now As of Sep 2026
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for people aged 15 and above was 55.5% in September 2026, the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported on 15 October 2026, against 55.6% in August and 55.3% in September 2025. Over the year, rural participation rose from 57.4% to 58.0%, while urban participation slipped from 50.9% to 50.7%.
Women's participation rose 0.5 percentage point over the year to 34.6%, and in rural areas it rose 1.0 percentage point to 38.9%. In towns and cities, women's participation rose from 25.4% in August to 25.9%, its highest since October 2025. Men's participation was 77.4%.
Why it matters
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) shows how many adults take part in the labour market at all. An economy can produce more when more of its adults work or look for work, so a low rate means unused talent and fewer earners per household.
Women's participation is the largest gap in India: it is far below men's. The rate also explains movements in unemployment. When more people start looking for work, the unemployment rate can rise even while the number of jobs grows.
What it is
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) is the share of people aged 15 and above who are in the labour force: working, or seeking or available for work. Many students and many women engaged in childcare and home-making are outside it.
This monthly figure comes from the National Statistics Office's Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), using Current Weekly Status. A person is in the labour force if they worked, or sought or were available for work, for at least one hour on any day in the seven days before the survey. Each sampled household is visited in four consecutive months, so three-quarters of the sample is shared between consecutive months.
Participation differs sharply by sex. In the 2025 annual report, by usual status, LFPR was 79.1% for men and 40.0% for women.
Read this number
- The publisher
- The National Statistics Office is the statistics arm of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. It compiles GDP, CPI, IIP and the labour force survey.
Terms on this page (3)
- NSO
- National Statistics Office
- PLFS
- Periodic Labour Force Survey
- WPR
- Worker Population Ratio
History
- 2017The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) begins, with quarterly estimates for urban areas and annual estimates for rural and urban India.
- Jan 2025Survey redesigned: each household is visited in four consecutive months, and the sample rises from about 1.02 lakh to 2.72 lakh households.
- Apr 2025First month with a monthly all-India estimate; quarterly bulletins now cover rural areas too.
- 27 Mar 2026First annual report on a calendar year, January–December 2025, replacing the July–June survey year.
Readings
| Period | Value | Status | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 55.5% | Final | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Aug 2026 | 55.6% | Final | 15 Sep 2026 |
| Jul 2026 | 55.4% | Final | 17 Aug 2026 |
| Jun 2026 | 54.4% | Final | 15 Jul 2026 |
| May 2026 | 54.4% | Final | 15 Jun 2026 |
| Apr 2026 | 55.0% | Final | 15 May 2026 |
| Mar 2026 | 55.4% | Final | 15 Apr 2026 |
| Feb 2026 | 55.9% | Final | 16 Mar 2026 |
| Jan 2026 | 55.9% | Final | 16 Feb 2026 |
| Dec 2025 | 56.1% | Final | 15 Jan 2026 |
| Nov 2025 | 55.8% | Final | 15 Dec 2025 |
| Oct 2025 | 55.4% | Final | 17 Nov 2025 |
For UPSC
Know the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) definitions of the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and the unemployment rate, and the two reference periods: usual status (365 days) and Current Weekly Status (7 days). The monthly figures use Current Weekly Status for ages 15 and above.