Unemployment rate (UR)
UR = Unemployment Rate- How often
- Every month15th of the following month
- Next release
- Mon 16 NovIn 4 days · 4:00 PM
September 2026, the same as in August 2026.
Events on this chart
Source: NSO, MoSPI, released 15 Oct 2026 · Chart: Clarity UPSC
- Previous
- 5.0%Aug 2026
- Highest
- 5.6%May 2025
- Lowest
- 4.7%Nov 2025
18 readings since Apr 2025.
Story
The share of people in the labour force who wanted work in the survey week but found none.
What is happening now As of Sep 2026
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) bulletin of 15 October 2026 puts the unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above at 5.0% in September 2026, the same as in August and down from 5.2% in September 2025. In rural areas it was 4.2%, against 4.6% a year earlier; in towns and cities it was 6.9%, against 6.8%.
For rural women the rate fell to 3.9%, its lowest in 2026, while for urban women it was 9.2%. Among young people aged 15 to 29, the rate was 15.2%, and 19.0% in towns and cities.
Why it matters
The unemployment rate shows how many people who want work cannot find any. A rising rate means lost earnings for families and skills going to waste; a falling rate means the economy is absorbing job seekers. The breakdowns show where the problem sits: young people and urban women face much higher rates than the average.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) calls the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) the primary source of data on employment and unemployment. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reads employment conditions as a guide to household demand.
What it is
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) of the National Statistics Office (NSO) counts who is working, who is looking for work and who is outside the labour force.
This monthly figure uses the Current Weekly Status (CWS). A person counts as unemployed if they sought or were available for work in the last seven days but did not work for even one hour.
It covers people aged 15 and above in rural and urban India. Monthly figures began with April 2025.
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.
- Survey
- Periodic Labour Force Survey
- Measure
- Current Weekly Status, age 15+
- Monthly since
- April 2025
- Release rule
- 15th of the following month; next working day if a holiday
Terms on this page (5)
- CWS
- Current Weekly Status
- MoSPI
- Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- NSO
- National Statistics Office
- PLFS
- Periodic Labour Force Survey
- RBI
- Reserve Bank of India
History
- 2017The Periodic Labour Force Survey begins.
- 2025Survey redesigned: a monthly bulletin from April 2025, quarterly bulletins for rural and urban areas, and the annual report moves to the calendar year.
Readings
| Period | Value | Status | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 5.0% | Final | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Aug 2026 | 5.0% | Final | 15 Sep 2026 |
| Jul 2026 | 5.1% | Final | 17 Aug 2026 |
| Jun 2026 | 5.5% | Final | 15 Jul 2026 |
| May 2026 | 5.5% | Final | 15 Jun 2026 |
| Apr 2026 | 5.2% | Final | 15 May 2026 |
| Mar 2026 | 5.1% | Final | 15 Apr 2026 |
| Feb 2026 | 4.9% | Final | 16 Mar 2026 |
| Jan 2026 | 5.0% | Final | 16 Feb 2026 |
| Dec 2025 | 4.8% | Final | 15 Jan 2026 |
| Nov 2025 | 4.7% | Final | 15 Dec 2025 |
| Oct 2025 | 5.2% | Final | 17 Nov 2025 |
For UPSC
Know usual status versus Current Weekly Status, and the definitions of the labour force participation rate and the worker population ratio.