India has entered the top 30 most transparent real estate markets globally, climbing five positions to rank 26th in the 2026 JLL Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI). The report identifies India as one of the five most-improved real estate markets worldwide and the biggest improver in the Asia Pacific region.
The improvement places India in the middle of JLL’s “Transparent” category and reflects changes across regulation, investment markets, listed real estate, sustainability, transaction processes and digital land records.
India climbs five places in global transparency ranking
According to JLL’s 2026 index, India improved from 31st position in the previous edition to 26th globally. The GRETI assesses 88 countries and 146 city markets using 260 factors covering the availability, quality and reliability of real estate market data and information.
JLL said India’s progress has been supported by a maturing regulatory environment, the expansion of the REIT ecosystem and strong institutional investment.
The report also highlights India’s longer-term improvement. JLL said the country has recorded the fourth-best improvement globally over the past 10 years and the third-best over 20 years.
Regulatory and legal transparency sees the biggest jump
One of the most significant changes was recorded in the Regulatory & Legal parameter.
India moved from 37th to 19th globally and from ninth to sixth in the Asia Pacific region under this parameter. JLL attributes the improvement to the maturation of RERA, liberalisation of foreign direct investment and the digitisation of land records.
The report specifically points to digital initiatives including the National Urban Digital Mission, NAKSHA and the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme.
For the real estate market, the significance is that regulatory and land-related information is becoming increasingly digitised and accessible. The report also notes the use of GIS and drone mapping to verify land parcels.
Transaction processes remain a strong point
India continued to perform strongly in the Transaction Process parameter, ranking 10th globally and third in Asia Pacific.
JLL said commercial real estate financing information has become more available and reliable, supported by institutional investment, the growth of REITs and a stronger regulatory framework.
The report also points to increased tracking of financing indicators such as loan-to-value ratios and debt margins.
Land-use planning is also evolving through Transit-Oriented Development guidelines and revised construction standards, while digital land-record initiatives are improving the availability and verification of urban land information.
Office REIT market expands sharply
The expansion of India’s REIT market has been another major contributor to greater transparency.
According to the report, office REIT stock increased from 104 million sq. ft. in 2024 to 164 million sq. ft. in 2026, representing a 58% increase. REIT-worthy assets now account for about 46% of India’s Grade A office inventory, while REIT stock represents around 18% of Grade A stock.
JLL also notes that the BSE Realty Index and India REIT Index have become important benchmarks for investors tracking listed real estate companies and income-producing real estate assets.
Quarterly financial reporting and annual disclosure standards across REITs and publicly traded flexible-space operators have also contributed to greater availability of market information.
Private equity investment reaches $10.5 billion
The improvement in transparency has coincided with strong institutional investment.
Private equity investment in Indian real estate reached USD 10.5 billion in 2025, an increase of 17% year-on-year. Investment remained strong in the first half of 2026, reaching USD 4.3 billion, up 25% year-on-year.
The combination of greater disclosure, expanding REIT markets and increased institutional participation is contributing to a more developed investment ecosystem.
JLL said the next stage of development will involve attracting more sophisticated forms of capital, while addressing remaining gaps in areas such as credit-market data and benchmarking of unlisted funds.
Sustainability transparency also improves
India’s sustainability ranking improved from 29th to 27th globally, while its Asia Pacific position remained seventh.
JLL attributes the improvement partly to SEBI’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting framework for the top 1,000 listed companies, including phased requirements relating to value-chain reporting and third-party assurance.
The report also highlights the growth of green-certified Grade A office buildings. Their share increased from approximately 39% in 2020 to 66% by the first half of 2026.
JLL estimates that certified buildings command a 10-15% rental premium over non-certified buildings after adjusting for factors including property type, location and age.
However, the report identifies several gaps, including the limited adoption of mandatory Scope 3 reporting, inconsistent building-performance regulations, limited disclosure of property-level energy consumption and the need for stronger climate-risk, resilience, nature and biodiversity reporting.
Data centres emerge as a major transparency driver
Data centres are becoming an increasingly important part of India’s real estate and digital infrastructure story.
JLL’s mid-2026 data shows 1,637 MW of data-centre inventory, 2.8% vacancy, 100 MW of absorption and 84.9 MW of completions. Another 4,317 MW was under construction, with a planned pipeline of approximately 15,000 MW.
The report notes that 98% of first-half 2026 supply was concentrated in Mumbai and Chennai.
India’s data-centre capacity is projected to increase from around 1.6 GW to 6 GW by 2029. JLL estimates that this expansion will require approximately USD 110 billion in investment.
Global hyperscalers have committed more than USD 50 billion towards AI-ready facilities, while self-build projects account for nearly 30% of new capacity. The report also states that data-centre supply has grown at a 60% compound annual growth rate since 2021.
Listed real estate market sees incremental improvement
India’s position in the listed real estate parameter improved from 36th to 35th globally. JLL said the change reflects incremental progress in listed-market maturity.
Greater investor reliance on real estate indices, along with more consistent financial disclosures from REITs and listed operators, has helped improve the availability of information around listed real estate assets and income-producing ownership structures.
What remains to be improved
Despite the five-place jump, JLL’s assessment identifies several areas where India’s transparency infrastructure still has room to develop.
These include deeper performance disclosures across asset classes and fund structures beyond office real estate, improved credit-market intelligence covering lending volumes and financing conditions, and verified real-time building-performance data across the wider property market.
The report also identifies AI as a potential tool for improving access to fragmented real estate information and streamlining due diligence.
AI and data centres could shape the next phase
JLL’s assessment suggests that India’s next phase of transparency will increasingly be connected with technology and digital infrastructure.
The combination of listed-market development, REIT expansion, sustainability disclosures, digitised land records and the rapid growth of data centres is creating a larger pool of structured real estate information.
For investors, developers and other market participants, the broader significance is the increasing availability of information around assets, transactions, regulations and performance.
India’s 26th position in GRETI 2026 therefore reflects not only its current level of transparency but also the changes taking place in how the country’s real estate market records, discloses and processes information.
Also Read: India Achieves Landmark Transparency in Global Real Estate Market
