India Real Estate Transparency Gains Sharply With RERA
India’s major real estate markets have moved five places higher to 26th globally in the 2026 Global Real Estate Transparency Index, placing the country firmly within the “Transparent” tier. The shift reflects improvements in regulation, land-record digitisation and market disclosures, with implications not only for investors but also for how urban development, property transactions and building performance are monitored.
The latest assessment covers 88 countries and 146 city markets, using 260 measures related to data availability, reliability, market performance, regulation, transactions and sustainability. India’s progress places it among the five most-improved markets worldwide and makes it the leading improver in Asia-Pacific. A major shift has come through the regulatory and legal framework. India’s position in this category improved from 37th to 19th globally. The development of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), greater foreign investment flexibility and digitisation of land records were identified as important contributors. For homebuyers and urban residents, stronger transparency can make property markets easier to understand. Better records and disclosures can reduce information gaps around projects, ownership and transactions, although the quality and accessibility of information can still vary between markets.
India’s real estate transparency is also being shaped by the growing institutionalisation of commercial property. The country’s listed-market ranking improved marginally, while transaction processes remained among its stronger areas, according to the 2026 index. Sustainability is another area where the market has advanced. India’s sustainability ranking rose to 27th globally, while green-certified Grade A office stock increased substantially between 2020 and the first half of 2026. The broader issue, however, is whether environmental information becomes available consistently across the wider building stock. This matters as cities face rising energy demand, heat stress and climate-related risks. Transparency around energy consumption, building efficiency and climate exposure can help residents, businesses and authorities understand the longer-term performance of urban assets Despite the gains, the index highlights areas requiring further development. These include property-level energy disclosures, climate-risk reporting, building-performance standards and reporting on nature and biodiversity risks.
The next phase of real estate transparency will therefore depend on whether data becomes more standardised, timely and accessible across different asset classes. Greater use of digital systems and artificial intelligence could also help bring fragmented property information together. For India’s expanding cities, the significance extends beyond investment flows. More reliable property and infrastructure data can support better planning, improve accountability and help align new development with energy efficiency and climate resilience. The challenge now is ensuring that transparency keeps pace with the scale and complexity of urban growth.
