India has climbed five places to rank 26th in the JLL Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI), firmly placing it within the 'Transparent' tier and earning recognition as one of the top five most-improved markets worldwide and the number one improver in Asia Pacific, according to a report released on Friday, 18 September 2026. The milestone underscores a multi-year transformation of India's real estate sector, driven by regulatory reform, institutional investment, and digitisation.

India's Ranking and What It Means

The GRETI is one of the most closely watched benchmarks in global commercial real estate, tracking regulatory transparency, transaction processes, sustainability disclosures, and market data availability across 89 countries. India's rise to 26th place positions it in the middle of the Transparent tier — one step below 'Highly Transparent' — and reflects gains accumulated over a decade of structural reform.

According to JLL, India ranks as the fourth-best improving market globally over 10 years and third-best over 20 years, a trajectory that few emerging economies have matched. Radha Dhir, Chief Executive Officer, India, JLL, noted: 'Our steady progress — fourth-best globally over 10 years and third-best over 20 years — positions India to enter the 'Highly Transparent' tier as we advance toward aligning with the world's most transparent markets.'

She added: 'The next chapter is about scale — extending what is working in our gateway markets to every market where global capital wants to invest.'

Record Investment Activity Follows Transparency Gains

Improved transparency has coincided with a surge in capital inflows. Private equity investment in Indian real estate reached $10.5 billion in 2025, up 17% year-on-year, and $4.3 billion in the first half of 2026, up 25%. These figures suggest that transparency improvements are translating directly into investor confidence at a measurable scale.

India's office REIT market expanded significantly, growing from 104 million sq. ft in 2024 to 164 million sq. ft in 2026, with nearly half of Grade A office stock now classified as REIT-worthy. The BSE Realty Index and India REIT Index have become essential benchmarks for institutional investors, while quarterly financial reporting and annual disclosure standards have solidified across REITs and publicly traded flexible space operators.

Regulatory and Legal Reforms Drive Biggest Gains

India achieved its strongest improvement in the Regulatory and Legal parameter, surging from 37th to 19th globally. The jump was driven by the maturation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), liberalisation of foreign direct investment norms, and the roll-out of digitised land registries across states.

The country also maintained a strong position in the Transaction Process parameter, ranking 10th globally and 3rd in Asia Pacific — a signal that deal execution, title clarity, and due diligence processes have markedly improved. Data on commercial real estate financing conditions has become more available and reliable, driven by growing institutional participation and a stringent regulatory environment.

Data Centre Boom Adds a New Transparency Frontier

A fast-emerging dimension of India's real estate story is its data centre sector. Capacity is projected to grow from 1.6 GW to 6 GW by 2029, requiring an estimated investment of USD 110 billion. Global hyperscalers have already committed over USD 50 billion toward AI-ready facilities in India, creating a new class of institutional-grade assets that will further deepen market transparency requirements.

This comes amid a broader global trend of data infrastructure being classified as core real estate, adding a critical dimension to how transparency indices will be measured in future cycles. India's early positioning in this space could accelerate its path into the 'Highly Transparent' tier.