New Delhi, Aug. 10 -- India's overall labour force participation rate for people aged 15 years and above declined to 54.6 per cent during April-June 2026 from 55.5 per cent in the previous quarter, according to government data released on Monday.

The Worker Population Ratio, which indicates the proportion of the population that is employed, also fell to 51.7 per cent from 52.8 per cent during January-March 2026, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said in its latest Periodic Labour Force Survey quarterly bulletin.

The decline was more pronounced in rural areas, where labour force participation fell to 56.9 per cent from 58.2 per cent in the previous quarter. Rural unemployment rose to 4.8 per cent from 4.3 per cent d...