In 2023, the estimated youth unemployment rate in India was at 15.67 percent. According to the source, the data are ILO estimates. For the past decade, India’s youth unemployment rate has been hovering around the 22 percent mark. What is the youth unemployment rate?The youth unemployment rate refers to those in the workforce who are aged 15 to 24 years and without a job, but actively seeking one. Generally, youth unemployment rates are higher than the adult unemployment rates, and India is no exception: youth unemployment in India is significantly higher than the national unemployment rate. The Indian workforce, young and oldIndia’s unemployment rate in general is not remarkably high when compared to those of other countries. Both India’s unemployment rate and youth unemployment rate are below their global equivalents. In a comparison of the Asia-Pacific region countries, India ranks somewhere in the middle, with Cambodia’s unemployment rate being estimated to be below one percent, and Afghanistan’s the highest at 8.8 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for India (SLUEM1524ZSIND) from 1991 to 2023 about 15 to 24 years, India, unemployment, and rate.

Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in India was reported at 15.47 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey of 2024, the unemployment rate among individuals with secondary education and above was 7.1 percent, the highest among other levels of education. Although the unemployment rate within this category fell from the previous financial year. Potential of the education sectorIndia's education sector is estimated to be valued at around 117 billion U.S. dollars, and it is expected to grow to 225 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. It is a growing trend for many young Indians to attain two or three degrees in the hope of attaining a job. One of the largest young populations in the world presents a unique opportunity for the country in the education sector. Educated unemployed Youth unemployment in India was over 15 percent in 2023. This is despite the abundance of highly educated professionals. The data suggests a sharp mismatch between the skills of the labor force and job creation. The lack of jobs in the non-farm sector for the newly graduated young population is a major cause of worry for the Indian economy.

India youth unemployment rate for 2023 was 15.79%, a 2.04% decline from 2022.

• India youth unemployment rate for 2022 was 17.83%, a 3.03% decline from 2021.
• India youth unemployment rate for 2021 was 20.86%, a 3.74% decline from 2020.
• India youth unemployment rate for 2020 was 24.60%, a 1.73% increase from 2019.

The share of employable women in India in 2025 saw a decrease from the previous year. Men accounted for about 53 percent of employability that year. In fact, a larger share of women than men have constituted India’s employable talent since 2020 until a drop in 2025. Employability refers to a person's ability to gain and maintain employment. India’s professional talent pool Indian corporations and employers found a rich supply of highly employable graduates in states such as Maharashtra and Delhi. The demand for professionals with a year or more of working experience outweighed that of graduates without experience, thus, driving up the preference for internships. Some of the most employable candidates in 2024 were graduates with degrees in engineering, business administration and computer applications. Employability does not translate to employment However, higher employability did not translate to employment as was indicated by the country’s youth unemployment rate. Gender gap in participation at work has also persisted over the years. In addition to skill training, more jobs need to be created to absorb the growing unemployed and underemployed youth.

With an unemployment rate of 14.1 percent, the urban areas of Himachal Pradesh had the highest unemployment rate in financial year 2023, followed by Andaman & Nicobar Islands. However, urban women had a higher unemployment rate than rural women in the country.

In 2021, the youth unemployment rate in India amounted to approximately 28.26 percent of the youth labor force. Comparatively, the youth unemployment rate in Japan amounted to about 4.36 percent of the youth labor force that year.

Unemployment Rate in India decreased to 8.20 percent in January from 8.30 percent in December of 2024. This dataset provides - India Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In rural India, close to 1.8 percent of females and more than two percent of males were unemployed, while the unemployment rate was higher in urban India. Urban women had a higher unemployment rate than rural women in the country.

According to a survey among Indian urban youth about life in lockdown, a majority of employed respondents stated that they did not have unemployment insurance or paid sick leave or health insurance through their employer as of April 2020. About 18 percent of full-time employees had paid sick leave through their employer. However, one only percent of Indians had unemployment insurance at that time.

Young people from the Chinese (4.5%) and Indian (7.3%) ethnic groups were less likely than the UK average (11.5%) to be not in employment, education or training.

Abstract

South Asia Regional Flagship: More and Better Jobs in South Asia

Employment is a major issue throughout the world. To enjoy life, people need productive jobs that remove them from the daily struggle of making ends meet. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), as many as 30 million people lost their jobs as a result of the 2008 crisis. Youth unemployment is especially high and inequality has increased. As recent events in the Middle East and North Africa demonstrate, joblessness and inequality can trigger political instability and unrest.

When the World Bank South Asia Region decided to initiate a yearly Flagship Report series, it was clear that the very first report needed to concentrate on the important topic of More and Better Jobs in South Asia. Although one of the fastest growing regions, South Asia is still home to the largest number of the world's poor and the pace of creating productive jobs has lagged behind economic growth. Conflict and social and gender issues also increase the challenge of generating more and more productive jobs. Without urgent action, the potential for the demographic dividend from about 150 million entrants to the labor force over the next decade may not be realized.

The Flagship seeks to answer four questions, which could have implications beyond South Asia. - How is South Asia performing in creating more and better jobs? - Where are the better jobs? - What are constraints in supply and demand in moving towards better jobs? - How does conflict affect job creation?

Geographic coverage

National

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

The datasets contains year-, state-, city- (cities with over 2 million population), and gender-wise historical data on the number of suicides which have happened in India by types of causes such as Bankruptcy or Indebtedness, Divorce, Non-Settlement of Marriage, Dowry, Extra Marital affairs, Drug Abuse/Alcoholic Addiction, Failure in Examination, Impotency/Infertility, AIDS/STD, Insanity/Mental illness, Ideological Causes/Hero Worshipping, Family Problems, Death of Dear Person, Other Prolonged Illness, Cancer, Paralysis, Fall in Social Reputation, Love Affairs, Unemployment, Poverty, Property Dispute Other Causes, Suspected/ Illicit Relation (Other than Extra Marital Affairs), Physical Abuse (Rape, etc.), Illegitimate Pregnancy (Other than Extra Marital Affairs), Professional/Career Problem, Causes Not Known, Bankruptcy or sudden change in economic status, Suspected / Illicit relation, Not having children(barrenness/impotency), Illegitimate Pregnancy, etc.

In 2025, the Masters of Business Administration domain had the highest employability rating at about 78 percent, an increase from the previous year. The Polytechnic domain had the lowest employability rate of around 27 percent.

As of March 2025, South Africa had the highest unemployment rate among the 19* countries that are members of the G20. The unemployment rate in South Africa stood at 33.9 percent that year. The country has recently been plagued by an economic downturn, including energy shortages and high unemployment levels. On the other hand, Japan had the lowest unemployment rate at just 2.5 percent. Economic inequality in South Africa Not only does South Africa top the G20 in overall unemployment, but it also has a significant level of youth unemployment, as nearly half of the young population is unemployed. Thirty years after the end of Apartheid, South Africa is also still one of the most unequal countries in the world, with a Gini score of 0.63. The prominence of inequality in the country makes escaping unemployment and underemployment difficult. Japanese economic slowdown While Japan had the lowest unemployment rate out of all G20 nations, as well as the lowest youth unemployment rate out of the G20 nations, Japan’s economy is still facing many challenges. With an aging population, the total Japanese population is facing a rapid decline, meaning that it will struggle to have enough workers participating in the labor market. Despite this, Japan maintains strict immigration policies, limiting the chances for foreign workers to move to Japan. Moreover, Japan has the second lowest fertility rate out of the G7 nations and one of the lowest fertility rates globally, adding another challenge in addressing population shrinkage.

In December 2024, the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas of China ranged at 5.1 percent, up from 5.0 percent in the previous month. The annual unemployment rate in China was 5.1 percent in 2024. Surveyed versus registered unemployment Figures on surveyed unemployment were published by the National Bureau of Statistics of China in 2018 for the first time. The use of surveys was initiated to get a more accurate picture of actual unemployment in urban areas of China. The surveys cover all permanent residents between the age of 16 and retirement age living in cities. In contrast, registered unemployment figures take only those people into account that have actively reported their unemployment. As most migrant workers and other groups that do not qualify for unemployment compensations in China normally do not report their unemployment status, the figures for registered unemployment are considerably lower than those for surveyed unemployment. Youth unemployment in China Youth unemployment has become a growing problem in China in recent years. Unemployment figures for young people fluctuate over the year and normally peak in July and August in China, when the largest number of graduates enter the job market. The youth unemployment rate increased from 13.9 percent in July 2019 to 16.8 percent in July 2020, 19.9 percent in July 2022, and 21.3 percent in June 2023. This is mainly due to difficult economic conditions and rising numbers of college graduates who often do not fit the demand for more practically skilled work in the job market.

In 2025, employability among Indian engineering graduates was about 72 percent, an increase from the around 65 percent in 2024. The overall employability of the youth in the country was about 55 percent in 2025.

The median age in India was 27 years old in 2020, meaning half the population was older than that, half younger. This figure was lowest in 1970, at 18.1 years, and was projected to increase to 47.8 years old by 2100. Aging in India India has the second largest population in the world, after China. Because of the significant population growth of the past years, the age distribution remains skewed in favor of the younger age bracket. This tells a story of rapid population growth, but also of a lower life expectancy. Economic effects of a young population Many young people means that the Indian economy must support a large number of students, who demand education from the economy but cannot yet work. Educating the future workforce will be important, because the economy is growing as well and is one of the largest in the world. Failing to do this could lead to high youth unemployment and political consequences. However, a productive and young workforce could provide huge economic returns for India.

In 2025, employability among Indian business administration graduates was about 78 percent, an increase from 47 percent in 2021. The overall employability of the youth in the country was about 55 percent in 2025.