An Analysis of Women’s Labor in the North Eastern States and Union Territories

The Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) 2025 report shows a clear increase in female labor force participation (FLFPR) from 2019-2020. The increase was more pronounced in rural areas, where the percentage increased from 33% to 45.9%, than in urban areas, where it increased from 23.3% to 27.7%. This disparity calls for a closer look at North-Eastern states where women’s labor force participation is higher and Union Territories (UTs) to understand how women’s labor force participation has changed in rural and urban areas.

The chart below represents the average annual percentage point (AAPP) change in the female rural participation rate (FLFPR) for each state between 2019-20 and 2025.

AAPP is used to indicate the rate of improvement. It shows that the major rural North Eastern states and UTs are above this benchmark. Arunachal Pradesh has seen the highest growth at 8.28 percentage points annually, more than three times the all-India benchmark of 2.58. At the other end, FLFPR declined in Delhi and Lakshadweep. The difference between the highest and lowest AAPP is more than 10 percentage points, from +8.28 in Arunachal Pradesh to -2.34 in Lakshadweep. This means that the national average of 2.58 points hides substantial differences at the state level.

The chart below shows that Arunachal Pradesh again stands out with an AAPP of 5.24 points above the all-India urban AAPP of 0.88 pps, followed by Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Chandigarh, A&N Islands, Assam, Tripura and Jammu & Kashmir.

But Puducherry, Ladakh, Delhi and Lakshadweep recorded negative AAPP. The urban spread of +5.24 to -1.30 percentage points remains substantial, although the national average is much lower than in rural areas.

All India AAPP is therefore 1.7 percentage points per annum higher than urban. This is important for statistical analysis: the national trend and the state-level distribution are two different stories. While the aggregate shows an increase, it is across the northeastern states, while the UTs are much more heterogeneous.

However, the AAPP alone is not sufficient to assess the performance of North-Eastern states and UTs as it only measures the pace of change and does not take into account the level of women’s labor force participation from which the state started. Therefore, the 2019-2020 FLFPR for each state is used as the baseline. Combining the baseline with subsequent AAPP provides a more meaningful assessment of whether states are catching up to a lower baseline, maintaining improvement at higher levels, or progressing slowly.

In the table below, the upper left part of the rural spread includes Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Tripura.

These states had FLFPR below the 2019–20 all-India benchmark but recorded AAPP above the national average, indicating faster improvement, while Delhi recorded AAPP below the all-India average.

At the other end, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Andaman & Nicobar and J&K started with their FLFPR above the benchmark and recorded AAPP above the national average. This suggests that faster improvement is not limited to states starting from a low base. Ladakh, Sikkim, Puducherry, Mizoram and Lakshadweep had relatively high female LFPR in 2019-20 but recorded AAPP below the all-India benchmark.

The chart below shows that in urban areas, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Assam and Tripura started from relatively low baseline levels but recorded AAPPs above the all-India average, indicating relatively faster improvement.

In contrast, Delhi also started from relatively low levels but recorded an AAPP below the all-India average. Among states with relatively higher baselines, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur and J&K had above-average AAPP, indicating that some states with already higher levels of participation continued to make relatively rapid gains. However, Ladakh, Sikkim, Puducherry, Mizoram and Lakshadweep had relatively high female LFPR in 2019-20 but recorded AAPP below the all-India benchmark.

The four graphs tell an interesting story rather than simply stating that female labor force participation has increased. The geography of women’s labor force participation is changing, but not at a uniform pace. The increase is very uneven in North Eastern states and UTs. Combining the 2019–2020 baseline with the subsequent rate of improvement therefore provides a more accurate picture of the catch-up pattern in female labor force participation in India since the pandemic.

The writer is an officer of the Indian Statistical Service. Opinions expressed are personal.

Data for the charts were obtained from the 2025 Periodic Labor Force Survey

Published – 19 October 2026 08:00 IST