STA
TOI
STICS
A slice of life in numbers
Study more, wait longer:
India’s education-jobs paradox
Among 25–34 year olds, the best-educated are 7× more likely to be
looking for work than the least-educated — and the gap keeps widening.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
share of 25–34 respondents
4.5%
5.5%
12.1%
20.4%
1.4%
1.8%
3.7%
10.3%
Primary
Middle
Secondary
Higher-
Secondary+
10.2
pp gap
3.1
pp
In salaried job
Waiting for work
gap: 3.1pp
gap: 10.2pp
‘Available for work’ = respondents not working but actively seeking employment.
Higher-Secondary+ includes graduates and post-graduates | 25–34 age band | n=14,459.
Source: Citizen Survey 2022–23 (Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System)