NEW DELHI — India's overseas direct investments (ODI) surged 40.8 per cent in rupee terms during 2025-26, sharply outpacing the 8.5 per cent growth in inward foreign direct investment (FDI), according to the Reserve Bank of India's latest annual census on foreign liabilities and assets, whose provisional results were released on November 6, IANS reported.

Source: IANS

The outstanding value of Indian entities' overseas direct investments rose to Rs 16.71 lakh crore at the end of March 2026, from Rs 11.87 lakh crore a year earlier — an increase of roughly Rs 4.84 lakh crore in a single year. In dollar terms, outward investment stood at $176.59 billion.

Source: IANS

Inward direct investment, by comparison, stood at Rs 70.72 lakh crore at the end of March 2026, up from Rs 65.17 lakh crore a year ago, and was valued at $747.13 billion in dollar terms, ANI reported, citing the same census.

Source: ANI

Gap between inflows and outflows narrows

Because overseas investment grew much faster than inflows, the ratio of inward FDI to outward direct investment moderated to 4.2 times at the end of March 2026, down from 5.5 times a year earlier — a sign, the reports said, that Indian companies are expanding their global footprint at a faster pace than before.

Source: Nation Press

The census covered 43,123 Indian entities reporting FDI and/or ODI as of March 2026. The RBI clarified that changes in outstanding foreign assets and liabilities may differ from flows recorded in India's balance of payments, because the stock figures also reflect valuation changes arising from price and exchange-rate movements.

Source: ANI