The present study tries to examine the socio-economic characteristics and patterns & extent of rural livelihood diversification of rural households living in the Hill Zone of Assam. Based on the multistage sampling technique, the required data for the study has been gathered by conducting a survey of 470 randomly selected sample households in the three hill districts of Assam during the period of July, 2023 to March, 2024. The sample size was determined by using Taro Yamane’s formula. The study is based on both the qualitative economics and quantitative statistical methods. Descriptive method is used to examine the socio-economic characteristics of the sample households. However, to determine the extent of livelihood diversification in the Hill Zone of Assam the Simpson Diversity Index (SDI) is used. The livelihood pattern of the study area shows that the highest proportion of the population is engaged in agricultural & allied activities.However,the hill dwellers of Assam are still practicing shifting cultivation, traditionally which is known as Jhum cultivation. The mode of cultivation adopted by them is very primitive and they lack the use of modern methods agricultural production. In the study area the extent of rural livelihood diversification is found to be very high (0.78). It indicates that households’ income is generated from diverse sources of occupation though majority of the population are involved primarily in agricultural & allied activities. The novelty of the study lies on the information relating to the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of study area that are based on household level empirical data. The socio economic characteristics considered in the study are expected to provide a basis for the future research work that has to be carried in the near future.