India leads APAC in real estate resilience and growth

Shrankhla Verma | June 24, 2025

India is standing out as the strongest commercial real estate market in the Asia-Pacific region, with steady growth across office, retail, and industrial sectors. While other major markets are seeing mixed signals, India continues to attract demand, investment, and expansion—cementing its position as a rising business hub.

India has become the most resilient commercial real estate market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, according to CBRE’s latest Asia Pacific Market Sentiment Survey. The country is showing steady growth in the office, retail, and industrial & logistics sectors, while more mature markets such as Greater China and Australia are seeing weaker sentiment.

The report points out that India’s office market has the strongest outlook in the region. This is due to growing confidence among occupiers, strong demand from the technology and financial services sectors, and continued investment by Global Capability Centres (GCCs). Between September 2024 and June 2025, India’s Office Market Sentiment Index crossed the 70% mark, the highest across all APAC countries. This positive trend is supported by stable rental rates and active leasing in major cities.

CBRE’s India Office Figures report for Q1 2025 also showed that office leasing activity increased by 5% compared to the previous year. Gross leasing reached 18 million square feet across nine Indian cities between January and March 2025. Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai led the demand, while some Tier 2 cities also saw increased leasing. Although renewals made up the majority of transactions, new leasing driven by expansion—especially from IT firms and GCCs—remained strong in India and Japan. In contrast, expansion-led leasing has slowed down in countries like Korea and Singapore.

India’s retail sector is also showing steady performance. While there has been a slight decline in leasing volumes, retailer sentiment remains positive. Many brands are still expanding into prime, high-footfall locations in major Indian cities. This is different from other APAC markets, where many retailers are consolidating and slowing their growth plans. In India, there are no major signs of large-scale store closures, which suggests retailers remain confident in the long-term growth of the sector.

A key finding from the survey is that India is the only market in the region where sentiment remains above 50% across all three major real estate segments: office, retail, and industrial & logistics. This reflects the overall strength of the Indian real estate sector and highlights its growing role as a strategic business hub. Even though other countries in the region are seeing a drop in inquiries and weaker demand, India continues to benefit from solid activity in the IT, BFSI, and GCC segments.

According to CBRE’s regional leadership, India’s performance is supported by its diverse occupier base, digital growth, and strong economic fundamentals. These factors are helping the country maintain momentum even as global economic conditions remain uncertain. The commercial real estate market in India is becoming a pillar of stability in the APAC region.

CBRE’s APAC Head of Research noted that India is following a different growth path compared to several of its regional peers who are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic. The report emphasized that demand for office space in India remains strong and that rental values are holding steady, positioning the country well for continued growth. As global companies look to spread their operations across the region, India is becoming an increasingly attractive choice.

The CBRE Asia Pacific Market Sentiment Survey was conducted from May 20 to June 4, 2025. It gathered insights from 517 CBRE leasing professionals across the region. The findings highlight India as a top performer in the current APAC real estate landscape and reinforce its rising importance as a key commercial destination.

India leads APAC in real estate resilience and growth

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India leads APAC in real estate resilience and growth

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