EconomyJobs and incomes
How much rural work is the job guarantee providing, and at what wage?
MGNREGA provided 228 crore days of work in 2025-26, 22% fewer than in 2022-23, to 5.34 crore households. Its average daily wage rose to ₹267, 6.0% more than in 2021-22 after rural inflation.
Written for anyone who wants to know how much work and pay the rural job guarantee provides. Dashboards as on 25 October 2026.
Work provided
The scheme gives paid manual work to rural households that ask for it, up to 100 days a year each. From 2021-22 to 2025-26, the days it provided fell 37% and the households that worked 26%; the average household got 43 days in 2025-26, against 50 in 2021-22.
Days of work provided under MGNREGA
Crore persondays by financial year. Complete years, from the scheme's dashboard as on 25 October 2026.
How to read it. Work under the scheme rises when other work is scarce and when the budget allows. A fall can mean rural labour markets have improved or that funds were short; these figures alone cannot say which.
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The wage
The average wage paid rose from ₹209 a day in 2021-22 to ₹267 in 2025-26, 28% in rupees. After rural consumer price inflation it rose in 3 of the 4 years and fell in 2022-23.
MGNREGA's average daily wage, growth over the year
Average wage rate per day per person; deflated by rural CPI inflation (the year's average of monthly rates).
How to read it. The wage is set by the government state by state each April, so it moves in steps; it is a floor for rural casual pay, not the market rate.
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This year, two schemes
VB-G RAM G replaced MGNREGA from 1 July 2026 with a guarantee of 125 days. Both dashboards still report 2026-27, each with its own figures, and we show them side by side rather than add them: they are separate schemes with different rules, so a sum would not be like for like.
| 2026-27, so far | MGNREGA | VB-G RAM G |
|---|---|---|
| Days of work (crore) | 62.19 | 41.73 |
| Households that worked (crore) | 2.55 | 2.10 |
| Average days per household | 24.4 | 19.9 |
| Average wage (₹ a day) | 264.63 | 285.36 |
| Women's share of days (%) | 61.8 | 62.2 |
| Households given the full guarantee | 74,986 | 14,669 |
As on 25 October 2026. "Full guarantee" is 100 days under MGNREGA and 125 under VB-G RAM G. The year is incomplete, so these are not comparable with full years above.
Rural unemployment
The labour survey put rural unemployment at 4.1% in August 2026, against 6.8% in the cities. Rural rates are low because most rural workers farm or work for themselves, and almost no one can afford to be idle; the demand for guaranteed work is another sign of rural distress, read beside the rate.
Rural labour market, monthly
PLFS, current weekly status, from April 2025.
How to read it. Women's participation in villages swings with the farm calendar; unemployment rates are % of the labour force, participation % of all women 15+.
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The workings
The question
Data
Every chart has a table view, a CSV download and a link to its published JSON. Bundles are listed in data status.