More than 70 per cent of the labourers and 90 per cent of agriculturists reside in rural areas
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Just one out ten youths are salaried, according to a study by People Research on India’s Consumer Economy (PRICE). It also found that around seven out of ten youths are not graduates .
Released on the occasion of ‘International Youth Day (August 12)’, the research Paper, titled ‘Navigating the Youth Frontier,’ examines the perceptions, realities, and imperatives shaping the youth narrative. As of 2025, PRICE estimated that nearly one in five young individuals globally calls India home. This is a formidable 42 crore strong force, constituting approximately 29 per cent of the nation’s total population, and made up of individuals aged between 15 and 29 years as defined by India’s National Youth Policy (2014).
The paper showed that only 2.4 per cent of youths (1 crore) in 2024-25 are involved in farm-related activities. “While the largest proportion of youths are students (26.8 per cent), a significantly large percentage is into business and/or self-employment (14.1 per cent), followed by salaried employment (9.9 per cent) and casual labour (12.3 per cent),” it said.
Further, more than 70 per cent of the labourers and 90 per cent of agriculturists reside in rural areas where 68 per cent each of the ‘unemployed’ and students, and 70 per cent of those engaged in ‘unpaid housework’ also reside.
The paper also revealed that that the shift away from farm-related jobs and slow growth of salaried employment has been offset to a certain extent by the rise in self-employment. This is evident across all urban and rural clusters. For instance, in metro cities where there is the highest percentage of youths in salaried employment (22 per cent), a significant proportion are also self-employed in non-agriculture activities (17 per cent).
Self-employed youths
“Niche cities and boom towns represents self-employed youths with 19 per cent and 16 per cent respectively while the rural clusters (developed rural, emerging and left-behind rural) are almost on par at 10-12 per cent,” it said.
Education data showed mixed pictures. As of 2025, PRICE’s survey data reveals that among the youth population, a mere 3 per cent or 1.3 crore are illiterate. Nearly 17 per cent or 7.33 crore have studied till the primary level, another 18 per cent or 7.6 crore are matriculates. Those who have studied till higher secondary number 9.3 crore (22 per cent) and 3.6 crore (9 per cent) have opted for vocational/technical studies. “The 12.9 crore strong grouping of young people who are graduates and/or post-graduates represent 31 per cent of Indian youth,” the study said.
According to the study, the good news is that education levels across the country have increased and the present generation of youths are among the most educated that the nation has ever had. This enhancement in education levels equips young people to deal with changing technologies, emerging opportunities and increases their employability. However, “the bad news is that the benefits of education are not accessible to all youths and ‘learning poverty’ is a major cause of concern,” it said.
Published on August 7, 2025
