India's unemployment rate was 5.0% in September 2026 (MoSPI), for people aged 15 years and above under the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). It was unchanged from August and 0.2 percentage points lower than in September 2025. Rural unemployment was 4.2% and urban 6.9%; the female rate was 5.2% and the male rate 4.9%.
Source · MoSPI, figure for September 2026 · checked
| Period | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | 5.1 |
| Jun 2026 | 5.5 |
| May 2026 | 5.5 |
| Apr 2026 | 5.2 |
The unemployment rate is the share of people in the labour force who did not work but sought or were available for work, in the week before the survey. Rural, urban, male and female rates differ from the overall rate.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, overall (15+), September 2026 | 5.0% | MoSPI PLFS, 15th October 2026 |
| Rural, September 2026 | 4.2% | MoSPI PLFS, 15th October 2026 |
| Urban, September 2026 | 6.9% | MoSPI PLFS, 15th October 2026 |
| Male, September 2026 | 4.9% | MoSPI PLFS, 15th October 2026 |
| Female, September 2026 | 5.2% | MoSPI PLFS, 15th October 2026 |
The overall Unemployment Rate (UR) among persons aged 15 years and above remained steady at 5.0% in September, 2026, compared with August, 2026. Rural UR remained broadly stable at 4.2%, against 4.1% in the previous month, while urban UR edged up marginally from 6.8% to 6.9%. Compared with September, 2025, the overall UR declined by 0.2 percentage points and reached at 5.0% in September, 2026.
The overall male UR among persons aged 15 years and above remained stable at 4.9% in September, 2026 compared with the previous month, continuing the downward or stable trend observed since June, 2026. Among female, the overall UR remained broadly stable at 5.2%, compared with 5.1% in the previous month.
The activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of last 7 days preceding the date of survey is known as the Current Weekly Status (CWS) of the person. At the all-India level, the monthly estimates are based on information collected from a total number of 3,70,513 persons surveyed.
June, 2026 5.3 5.9 5.5 July, 2026 5.0 5.4 5.1 August, 2026 4.9 5.1 5.0
rural + urban age group: 15 years and above April, 2026 5.1 5.4 5.2 May, 2026 5.4 5.6 5.5
5.0% for people aged 15 and above, the same as August and 0.2 percentage points lower than September 2025 (MoSPI PLFS).
Cities. In September 2026 the urban rate was 6.9% and the rural rate 4.2% (MoSPI PLFS).
The National Statistics Office under MoSPI publishes it in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) monthly bulletin, around the middle of the following month.
This figure is from MoSPI's own release or a report quoting it. We recheck it monthly. If you have a newer or better source, send it to us.
Numbers like this, sourced and dated, in the daily brief. Nine stories every morning at 09:15 IST.
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