India is witnessing a historic shift in female workforce participation, with the women’s employment rate nearly doubling from 22% in 2017–18 to 40.3% in 2023–24, according to Periodic Labour Force Survey data. The female unemployment rate has dropped from 5.6% to 3.2% over the same period, reflecting expanded opportunities and a more inclusive labour market. Rural India has seen a 96% rise in female employment, while urban areas recorded a 43% increase.
The employability of female graduates has risen from 42% in 2013 to 47.53% in 2024, and the employment rate among women with postgraduate education and above has grown from 34.5% to 40%. The India Skills Report 2025 projects that 55% of Indian graduates will be globally employable, up from 51.2% in 2024.
Over the past seven years, 15.6 million women have joined the formal workforce, as per EPFO payroll data. Additionally, more than 166.9 million women have registered on the e-Shram portal, gaining access to social welfare schemes.
Female self-employment has surged by 30%, rising from 51.9% in 2017–18 to 67.4% in 2023–24. Gender budgets have increased by 429% over the past decade, from Rs 850 billion in FY 2013–14 to Rs 4.49 trillion in FY 2025–26, reinforcing the shift from women’s development to women-led development.
Nearly 50% of DPIIT-registered startups now have at least one woman director, with 74,410 out of over 154,000 startups led by women. Around 20 million women have become Lakhpati Didis, empowered by flagship programs such as Namo Drone Didi and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–NRLM.
Under PM Mudra Yojana, women have received 68% of the total loans—over 353.8 million loans worth Rs 14.72 trillion. PM SVANidhi has also empowered street vendors, with women comprising 44% of beneficiaries.
Women-led MSMEs have generated over 8.9 million additional jobs for women between FY 2021 and FY 2023. The share of women-owned proprietary establishments has increased from 17.4% in 2010–11 to 26.2% in 2023–24, with the total number of women-led MSMEs nearly doubling from 10 million to 19.2 million.
Women are now central to India’s economic growth, driving the nation toward the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Through education, entrepreneurship, and workforce inclusion, Nari Shakti is reshaping India’s development narrative.
