February 27, 2025: Indians dedicated more time to work and less to self-care in 2024, as per the latest Time Use Survey released by the central government. The data highlights a significant increase in work participation among both men and women, while self-care and maintenance activities saw a decline.

According to the survey, the employment participation rate for males aged 15-59 years increased from 70.9% in 2019 to 75% in 2024. For females in the same age group, the participation rate rose from 21.8% to 25% over the same period. Meanwhile, the time Indians spent on self-care and maintenance decreased by 2% over the last five years.

The Time Use Survey, first conducted in 2019, assesses how individuals allocate time across various paid and unpaid activities. It covers aspects such as employment, unpaid domestic services, caregiving, volunteer work, social activities, and leisure. The 2024 survey, the second of its kind, was conducted from January to December and gathered data from 4.54 lakh individuals aged six and above, spanning 1.39 lakh households.

A key finding reveals that 41% of Indians aged six and above participated in employment and related activities in 2024—an increase of nearly three percentage points since 2019. On average, Indians spent 440 minutes per day on employment.

Unpaid domestic services also witnessed a slight decline, with the average time spent dropping by 2% from 2019. Women continued to shoulder a larger share of domestic responsibilities, spending 289 minutes per day on unpaid household services, compared to men, who spent 88 minutes.

Similarly, the gender gap persisted in caregiving activities, with women devoting 137 minutes per day to caring for household members, nearly twice the 75 minutes spent by men.

The survey also found that 89.3% of children aged 6-14 participated in learning activities, spending an average of 413 minutes per day studying. Meanwhile, cultural, leisure, and mass media activities accounted for an average of 171 minutes daily across all age groups, with men spending 177 minutes and women 164 minutes.

Indians also spent less time on socialising, communication, community participation, and religious activities. In 2024, they devoted five minutes less per day to these activities compared to the 130 minutes recorded in 2019.

The findings of the survey highlight shifting time-use patterns among Indians, with increasing work hours and reduced time for personal well-being, household services, and social engagements.