Muslims have Largest Share in Non-working Population

The percentage of the non-working population is highest among Muslims in the country, according to the data released by the Census office.

Key Points

• A massive 11.61 crore Muslims — who make up 67.42% of the 17.22 crore Muslim community — have been listed as non-workers.
• The total 72.89 crore Indians have been listed as non-workers — 60.20% of the total population of 121.08 crore.
• Non-workers are defined as those who do not participate in any economic activity — paid or unpaid, household duties, or cultivation.
• Following Muslims in the list of communities with the largest share of non-workers are Jains.
• There are 0.29 crore non-working Jains, who make up 64.47% of the total Jain population. After them are Sikhs (63.76%), Hindus (58.95%), Christians (58.09%), Buddhists (56.85%) and Others (51.50%).
• An analysis of the Census records shows that the percentage share of non-workers fell slightly between 2001 and 2011.
• In 2001, out of a total population of 102.8 crore, 62.63 crore were registered as non-workers — making up 60.88% of the population. In 2011, the number of non-workers has gone up to 72.88 crore, but they now make up 60.2% of the total 121.05 crore population.
• The large number of Muslim non-workers has been blamed on the lack of adequate employment opportunities, and an exceptionally skewed work participation ratio between men and women.
• Women make up only 15.58% of the community’s main total working population. The participation of women in the main workforce in India is 24.64%.
• The only community where more women are confined to their homes are Jains — where the participation of women as main workers is just 10.02%.