Azim Premji University’s State of Working India 2023 report put the unemployment rate for people under 25 with graduate-level education at 42.3% in India in 2021–22. The figure applies to this age-and-education group within the labour force, measured using Current Weekly Status; it is not the share of all young graduates who were without work, and it is not a current 2026 estimate.
What the 42.3% figure measures
The estimate appears in Figure 2.3 of Azim Premji University’s 2023 report and is based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2021–22. Its unemployment measure is Current Weekly Status (CWS). Under this measure, the rate describes the unemployed share of the relevant group in the labour force—not everyone in that age and education group. People outside the labour force are not part of that denominator. The report and figure provide the underlying definition and source.
How unemployment varied by age and education
The report’s figures show that the rate was highest among the youngest graduates and fell across older graduate age groups. For comparison, the same table gives the rate for people under 25 with higher-secondary education.
| Education and age group | Unemployment rate | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate and above, under 25 | 42.3% | India, 2021–22; PLFS, as reported by Azim Premji University in 2023 |
| Higher-secondary education, under 25 | 21.4% | India, 2021–22; PLFS, as reported by Azim Premji University in 2023 |
| Graduate and above, ages 25–29 | 22.8% | India, 2021–22; PLFS, as reported by Azim Premji University in 2023 |
| Graduate and above, ages 30–34 | 9.8% | India, 2021–22; PLFS, as reported by Azim Premji University in 2023 |
| Graduate and above, ages 35–39 | 4.5% | India, 2021–22; PLFS, as reported by Azim Premji University in 2023 |
| Graduate and above, age 40 and above | 1.6% | India, 2021–22; PLFS, as reported by Azim Premji University in 2023 |
These comparisons describe different age and education groups in the same survey period. They show that unemployment was concentrated among younger graduates in the report’s data; they do not, by themselves, explain why the rates differed.
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What the report says about the wider labour market
The university describes State of Working India 2023: Social Identities and Labour Market Outcomes as an overview of employment quantity and quality in India. It draws on official sources including National Statistical Office employment-unemployment surveys and PLFS, alongside other datasets, and examines disparities in labour-market outcomes. The university’s report page outlines its scope.
The report’s summary says unemployment after COVID was lower than before COVID across education levels, while remaining above 15% for graduates and around 42% for graduates under 25. It describes the transition from education to employment as a major challenge. Those are findings and characterisations in the 2023 report, not a measurement of conditions in 2026. Read the report summary for that context.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the statistic does—and does not—tell us
The 42.3% figure is a historical, descriptive rate for a defined group in India during 2021–22. It signals a difficult transition into work for young graduates in that period, but the table alone does not show that a degree caused unemployment, identify a single cause, or establish the rate today.
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- It covers people under 25 with graduate-level education who are counted in the labour force under CWS.
- It is not a percentage of every person under 25 with a degree, including those outside the labour force.
- Comparisons with another statistic are meaningful only when geography, survey period, age band, education category and unemployment definition align.
- It should not be presented as India’s current unemployment rate for young graduates.
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