The rural-urban divide in female labour force participation

What happened: women’s labour force participation rose after 2020, more in rural than in urban areas

India’s Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025 findings report a rise in women’s labour force participation since 2020, with larger improvements in rural areas than in urban areas. The participation indicator discussed is the female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) for women aged 15 and above.

Reported changes for women aged 15+ between 2019–20 and 2025 are:

- Overall female labour force participation rate (FLFPR): about 30% in 2019–20 to around 40% by 2025. - Rural FLFPR: about 33% to about 45.9%. - Urban FLFPR: about 23.3% to about 27.7% (a more modest rise).

Background and earlier position: rural–urban gaps and uneven state trajectories

The baseline levels used for comparison are for 2019–20. Women’s participation levels in 2019–20 are reported to be higher in rural areas than in urban areas, creating a persistent rural–urban gap. State-level outcomes are also reported to vary, so some states show faster improvements than others.