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India’s female labour force participation rate – the share of adult women who are in the workforce – is something of a global anomaly. While the share of Indian men in the workforce is comparable to other similar countries, the share of women in India who are doing work outside of household chores is among the lowest in the world.

After declining for more than two decades from 2005 and reaching its lowest level in 2018, the female labour force participation rate increased sharply. In absolute terms, the number of women in the workforce more than doubled, from just over 100 million in 2018 to more than 200 million in 2024.

Does this change mean that India’s workforce is becoming more gender-equal?

Share of women in the workforce

About one in three people in the workforce are women in 2025. While the share of women who are in the workforce has increased since 2018, it has only recovered to the level seen before 2005.

The share of women is higher in the rural workforce, where almost 38% of working people are women. In urban areas, women make up only about 25% of the workforce. However, the urban workforce has seen a more steady and sustained rise in women’s participation, unlike the rural workforce, where the workforce participation rate among women fell between 2005 and 2018, and then recovered.

This reflects the different trends across economic sectors. In the agricultural sector, where most rural women work, almost half of the workforce is women. In contrast, less than a quarter of the workforce in industry and services, which are largely urban-centred, is women.

The increase in the share of women in the workforce was driven largely by rural and agricultural employment. This contrasts with men, for whom most new jobs have been in industry, particularly construction, and in services, notably transportation and trade.

Feminised economic activities

While women make up........

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