Economy Higher is better

Labour Force Participation Rate

Share of the population (all ages) classified as in the labour force (either working or actively seeking work), under the usual status (principal + subsidiary) concept.

Tamil Nadu's lfpr is 50.6% % (2023-24), per National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI.

Tamil Nadu, latest

50.6%

2023-24

Last verified 2026-05-14

Change

+28.1%

2011-12 → 2023-24

Rank vs compared states

#3 of 5

TN vs MH, KA, GJ, UP · higher is better

Tamil Nadu's LFPR is 50.6% (2023-24), up +28.1% since 2011-12. It ranks #3 of 5 compared states (higher is better).

Read this number carefully

Series break at 2017-18: Source switched from NSS Quinquennial EUS (68th round, 2011-12) to the continuous PLFS. Sample design and reference period definitions differ; the 2011-12 point is a one-off benchmark and should not be trend-compared to PLFS values without caveats.. Values before and after are not directly comparable.

Source Official National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI Coverage 2011-12 – 2023-24 Sources & methodology ↓

About this indicator

This is the share of the working-age population either working or actively looking for work, so it measures how many people are economically engaged rather than sitting outside the labour market entirely. It is central to understanding an economy's potential, and gaps are often driven by low female participation, extended schooling, or discouraged workers who have stopped searching. A low rate can reflect either weak job opportunities or social and demographic factors, so it should be read together with the unemployment and worker-population figures.

LFPR · 2011-12 – 2023-24

Tamil Nadu's LFPR rose from 39.5% (2011-12) to 50.6% (2023-24).

Source: National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI

Compare with Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh

1 KA Karnataka 55.6% 2023-24
2 GJ Gujarat 50.7% 2023-24
3 TN Tamil Nadu 50.6% 2023-24
4 MH Maharashtra 48.1% 2023-24
5 UP Uttar Pradesh 45.5% 2023-24

Tamil Nadu highlighted. Each row shows that state's value and the year it is from. Compare like years with care.

Where this data comes from

The provenance of every value above and how to cite it.

Source provenance

Observations come from 2 distinct sources, segmented below by period.

Click any segment to open the source publication and verify the values yourself.

Methodology & notes

PLFS Annual Report estimates, usual status (ps+ss), all ages, total (rural+urban). PLFS years are July–June; '2023-24' refers to July 2023 – June 2024. LFPR = (employed + unemployed) ÷ population × 100.

Known series breaks

2017-18: Source switched from NSS Quinquennial EUS (68th round, 2011-12) to the continuous PLFS. Sample design and reference period definitions differ; the 2011-12 point is a one-off benchmark and should not be trend-compared to PLFS values without caveats.

Alternate sources tracked