In 2024, the estimated youth unemployment rate in India was at 16.03 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 2024 about 15 to 24 years, India, unemployment, and rate.

Unemployment Rate: India's unemployment rate has been a significant concern, with fluctuations over the years. As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, the unemployment rate was around 6-7%.

Rural-Urban Disparities: Unemployment is often higher in rural areas compared to urban areas, where there are more employment opportunities.

Youth Unemployment: India has a significant issue of youth unemployment. A large portion of the population is under the age of 30, and providing employment opportunities for this demographic is a challenge.

Underemployment: Many individuals in India are also affected by underemployment, where they are employed in jobs that are below their skill levels and pay less than their qualifications.

Informal Sector: A substantial portion of India's workforce is engaged in the informal sector, which lacks job security and social benefits.

Gender Disparities: There are notable gender disparities in unemployment rates, with women often facing higher rates of unemployment compared to men.

Education and Unemployment: Higher education levels do not always guarantee employment in India, leading to a mismatch between skills and job opportunities.

Government Initiatives: The Indian government has launched various schemes and initiatives to address unemployment, such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the Skill India program.

COVID-19 Impact: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on employment, leading to job losses and economic challenges.

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.

Historical dataset showing India youth unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

india - Youth Unemployment Rate for India was 16.03% in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, india - Youth Unemployment Rate for India reached a record high of 20.82 in January of 2021 and a record low of 15.66 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for india - Youth Unemployment Rate for India - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

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.

Actual value and historical data chart for India Unemployment Youth Total Percent Of Total Labor Force Ages 15 24

The statistic shows the unemployment rate in India from 1999 to 2024. In 2024, the unemployment rate in India was estimated to be 4.2 percent. India's economy in comparison to other BRIC states India possesses one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and as a result, India is recognized as one of the G-20 major economies as well as a member of the BRIC countries, an association that is made up of rapidly growing economies. As well as India, three other countries, namely Brazil, Russia and China, are BRIC members. India’s manufacturing industry plays a large part in the development of its economy; however its services industry is the most significant economical factor. The majority of the population of India works in this sector. India’s notable economic boost can be attributed to significant gains over the past decade in regards to the efficiency of the production of goods as well as maintaining relatively low debt, particularly when compared to the total amount earned from goods and services produced throughout the years. When considering individual development as a country, India progressed significantly over the years. However, in comparison to the other emerging countries in the BRIC group, India’s progress was rather minimal. While China experienced the most apparent growth, India’s efficiency and productivity remained somewhat stagnant over the course of 3 or 4 years. India also reported a rather large trade deficit over the past decade, implying that its total imports exceeded its total amount of exports, essentially forcing the country to borrow money in order to finance the nation. Most economists consider trade deficits a negative factor, especially in the long run and for developing or emerging countries.

The share of employable women in India in 2025 saw a decrease from the previous year. Men accounted for about ** 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.

In 2022, the total share of youth in the unemployed population was **** percent. The share of educated youth (secondary or higher) among all unemployed people increased to **** percent in 2022.

Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in India was reported at 15 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

The average for 2023 based on 177 countries was 15.77 percent. The highest value was in Djibouti: 76.27 percent and the lowest value was in Niger: 0.42 percent. The indicator is available from 1991 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Youth unemployment rates in the G20 were generally highest among people with a basic education. In India, however, youth unemployment was highest among *********************************, which may be down to a lack of positions for people with an advanced education. In South Africa, youth unemployment was highest among people with an **********************, with almost **** of the youth being unemployed.

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 **** 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 *** 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 ****. 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.

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 **********. About ** percent of full-time employees had paid sick leave through their employer. However, *** only percent of Indians had unemployment insurance at that time.

Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) in India was reported at 17.57 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

This ia a multiple regression problem wherein we'll predict the Unemployment Rate in India for a given time period given it's Per Capita Income, Poverty Rate, Literacy Rate and Youth Unemployment Rate.

The data is a time series from the year 1991 to 2021. All the factors mentioned in the data are significant.

Context

This datasets contains data from RBI which is published annually and this data has different features such as

Column names and legends

2000-01-INC = Income of each state for the year 2001 2011-12-INC = Income of each state for the year 2011

2001 - LIT = Literacy rate of each state for the year 2001 2011- LIT = Literacy rate of each state for the year 2011

2001 - POP = Total population of each state for the year 2001 2011- POP = Total population of each state for the year 2011

2001 -SEX_Ratio = Sex_Ratio of the each state for the year 2001 2011 -SEX_Ratio = Sex_Ratio of the each state for the year 2011

2001 -UNEMP = Unemployment rate of the each state for the year 2001 2011 -UNEMP = Unemployment rate of the each state for the year 2011

2001 -Poverty = Poverty rate of the each state for the year 2001 2011 -Poverty = Poverty rate of the each state for the year 2001

Unemployment Rate - for a month is calculated using the following formula: The monthly estimations for India are calculated as a ratio of the total estimated unemployed persons in India to the total estimated labor force for a month

Poverty rate = A common method used to estimate poverty in India is based on the income or consumption levels and if the income or consumption falls below a given minimum level, then the household is said to be Below the Poverty Line

state's Income measured using state domestic product - is the total value of goods and services produced during any financial year within the geographical boundaries of a state

Literacy rate - Total number of literate persons in a given age group, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group. The adult literacy rate measures literacy among persons aged 15 years and above, and the youth literacy rate measures literacy among persons aged 15 to 24 years

Acknowledgements

I wouldn't be here without the help of my friends and people who read this post. I owe you thanks for this research.

Inspiration

here are pretty basic question but I would high appreciate the data scientist community for any deep insight of the data in plots Cheers!!

Objective of the study:

-Is state's income is based on the education of the state -Does literacy rate contribute any changes to poverty rate

Source of the Datasets

datasets link

if this found useful kindly up-vote cheers!!

In most G20 countries, labor force participation was higher among young men than among young women. The only exception was South Korea. On the other hand, the gap was highest in India, with a difference of around ** percentage points, underlining the more traditional role of women in the South Asian country. Meanwhile, South Africa was the G20 member with the highest youth unemployment rate.