The Three Key Insights Rewriting India’s Real Estate Playbook

Written by Jorge Aguinaga

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Data from the GRI Barometer - based on responses from industry leaders - indicates that India’s real estate sector is evolving in a distinct direction: executives now view office space as a leading investment, assess external (not domestic) risks, and express remarkably high confidence in future performance. Taken together, this suggests India is merging growth-stage dynamism with institutional maturity. These findings were revealed during the India GRI 2025 event, where the Barometer was presented.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Office real estate leads the way: The shift in focus toward offices, including flexible workspace and IT-driven demand, underscores changing priorities in India’s real estate investment mix.
• External risk lens: Indian real estate leaders are more concerned about global geopolitical and macro risks than internal political or operational instability.
• Unusually strong confidence: The level of optimism among Indian industry executives markedly exceeds that seen in many mature markets, reflecting belief in execution and fundamentals.

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The opening session of India GRI 2025 delivered a powerful, data-driven narrative on the nation's unique market resilience and growing global importance.

Rodrigo Branchini, Partner & Managing Director APAC, presented exclusive findings from the GRI Barometer - a key initiative of the GRI Institute's growing research arm, which complements its long-standing gatherings and new education pillar. 

The insights from over 20,000 members surveyed show how India is confidently defying global trends.

Three Key Insights on India's Unique Position

Office Space
While leaders in Europe and Latin America rank office space as their lowest investment priority, India's executives name it their number one opportunity. 55% of Indian leaders see office space as the best opportunity at the moment. This is driven by the rise of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), flexible offices, and India's role as a global IT hub. In stark contrast, only 16% of European leaders and 18% of Brazilian leaders view office space as a top opportunity, placing it among the lowest-ranked segments.

Risk Perception
The data reveals that India's leaders are focused on external, global risks, aligning their perspective with mature markets rather than emerging ones. The top concern for leaders in both India (at 63%) and Europe is "global geopolitical tensions". This indicates that Indian leaders feel comfortable with the domestic political environment and are focused on international factors. In contrast, leaders in other emerging markets are preoccupied with internal challenges like high interest rates and political uncertainty. This positions India as a unique "best of both worlds" market, offering the high growth of an emerging economy with the perceived stability and global outlook of a developed one.

Corporate Conviction
When asked about their expectations for their own company's performance over the next 12 months, an unparalleled 94% of Indian executives expect "good" or "excellent" results. This reflects a deep-seated belief in their ability to execute and deliver. This level of corporate conviction dramatically outpaces every other region surveyed, including Europe (63%) and Brazil (68%).

The Next Chapter

The GRI Barometer’s three key insights paint a coherent picture of a uniquely positioned Indian real estate market. The unparalleled 94% corporate conviction is not simply optimism; it is anchored in a booming office sector that defies global caution and a stable domestic environment that allows leaders to adopt a mature, global risk outlook. 

This powerful blend of emerging market growth dynamics with developed market stability signals that the next wave of opportunity lies beyond simple asset acquisition. The real playbook will likely involve forging deeper partnerships with the confident domestic firms who believe they can not only ride the market's growth but actively outperform it.

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These insights are drawn from the GRI Barometer India | Q2 2025 report, which captures the sentiment of the market's foremost leaders. 

Explore the full report and its findings HERE