89% of Wealthy Indians Choose Property Ownership over Renting

During the launch of the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2025, Vivek Rathi, National Director of Research at Knight Frank India, told that Indian high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), those with assets over $10 million, are expected to allocate 22-25% of their wealth to prime residential real estate, with 80-90% of their holdings concentrated within the nation.

According to the Wealth Report, there are now 191 billionaires in India, and the number of HNIs increased by 6% in 2024 to 85,698 from 80,686 the year before. It stated that by 2028, there will be 93,753 HNWIs, which reflects India's growing wealth landscape.

Rathi emphasized that cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR, among others, receive a sizable amount of these investments from HNIs.

He explained, "While most HNWIs invest in prime real estate for personal use, some also allocate funds for capital preservation. In certain cases, we observe investments aimed at generating rental income."

Instead than aiming for large returns, capital preservation is an investment strategy that safeguards the initial investment amount.

According to Knight Frank's Next Gen Survey-India, 89% of affluent Next Gen Indians who are between the ages of 18 and 35 who earn more than Rs. 1 crore would rather own their home than rent it. Furthermore, 65% of them intend to renovate their existing residences in the upcoming year.

The term "Next Gen" (Next Generation) usually describes younger generations that will become future workforce members, consumers, or leaders.

For overseas investments, “we see the majority of HNWIs investing in countries like the UAE or the UK,” Shishir Baijal, Chairman and Managing Director of Knight Frank India said.

The survey also found that about 47% of Indian Nex Gens prefer to invest in luxury cars, and about 28% prefer real estate investments in high-end properties.