Overseas property draws 61% of Indian buyers for income

Overseas property has become a core part of how wealthy Indians build wealth. A joint survey by Knight Frank India and IREX, released on October 22, found that 61% of respondents intend to buy overseas property for rental income and capital appreciation. The report, titled Keys Beyond Borders, says overseas property now accounts for 13% of respondents' total wealth allocation, up from about 5% a decade ago.

Domestic real estate accounts for another 32%, so the combined property wealth allocation reaches 45% of portfolios. The rest is split between fixed-income assets at 20%, alternative assets at 18% and equities at 17%. The survey also found that 84% of respondents already own property overseas, while 16% are prospective first-time buyers.

Overseas property buyers chase rental income first

Residency opportunities, including Golden Visa programmes, rank among the leading factors behind overseas property purchase decisions. Other motives include portfolio diversification, currency hedging, business expansion, tax benefits, children's education and lifestyle improvement, with capital appreciation the long-term goal. Apartments and condominiums are the preferred choice for 69% of respondents, followed by villas and townhouses at 26%. Penthouses account for 4% of preferences and branded residences 1%.

Where Indian buyers look for overseas property

The UAE, Greece, Thailand, Portugal, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Bali in Indonesia, Canada and Malaysia feature among the preferred destinations. Georgia, Cyprus, Malta and Latvia are also drawing interest, and Golden Visa and other residency programmes in several of these markets are part of the draw. The survey found that 85% of respondents plan to invest between $250,000 and $1 million in overseas property, and 76% prefer homes of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet.

The size of the homes buyers want is strikingly consistent. Around 76% of respondents prefer properties measuring between 1,500 and 2,500 square feet. Within that band, 49% favour homes of 2,000 to 2,500 square feet, while 27% prefer 1,500 to 2,000 square feet. The mid-sized apartment remains the format the market understands best, for living in, letting out or reselling.

The 13% wealth allocation to overseas property is up from about 5% a decade ago, while domestic property has held at 32%. The shift has been fastest among corporate executives and working professionals, whose share of prospective buyers rose from 7% to 30% over the same period. First-generation entrepreneurs make up another 11% of those looking abroad.

Business owners, traders and industrialists make up 53% of those considering overseas property purchases. Corporate executives and working professionals account for 30%, while first-generation entrepreneurs represent 11%. The share of corporate executives and working professionals has risen from 7% a decade ago, and about 76% of respondents are aged between 35 and 50.

The interest shows up in money flows too. Property-related remittances by Indian residents rose 64% year-on-year to $528.70 million in FY2025-26, from $322.82 million in FY2024-25. These remittances were about 1.8% of total outflows under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, even as overall LRS outflows fell about 2%. Property, in other words, took a bigger slice of a smaller pie: the channel is still small, but the direction of travel is clear.

The report behind the numbers is Keys Beyond Borders: Indian buyers abroad: Motive, Market, Mobility, a joint effort by Knight Frank India and IREX. Its full findings will be presented at the IREX expo in New Delhi on October 23-24, where developers and residency consultants from more than 20 companies across 10-plus countries will be present. The survey's headline conclusion is that international real estate now plays a central role in wealth creation for India's affluent.

The findings will be presented at the expo in New Delhi on October 23-24, where Knight Frank India launches the full Keys Beyond Borders report alongside the event.