Outlook Business Desk
Data from the National Stock Exchange’s (NSE) Market Pulse report reveals that in the first four months of FY26, investors aged below 30 accounted for 56.2% of new market participants, up from 53.2% in FY25, indicating a recovery in youth involvement after last year’s slowdown.
The rise is striking as growth in the under-30 segment had cooled off in FY25 from its FY22 peak, when nearly three-fifths of all new investors were below the age of 30.
The report reveals a consistent rise in investors aged 30 and above since FY2022–23. This steady increase has lifted the median investor age, signalling a structural shift in India’s equity markets.
Before the pandemic, younger investors were a small fraction of the market. In FY19, under-30 investors formed just 22.6% of the base. By FY26, this figure has surged to 38.9%, signalling a generational change in market participation.
While investors under 40 still form over two-thirds of the total base, their growth slowed to 4% in FY26’s first four months, compared to 9.1% in the same period a year earlier.
Women are gradually increasing their presence in the market. Maharashtra leads with 28.5% female investors, followed closely by Gujarat at 26.6%.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh shows weak female participation at 18.8%, well below the national average of 24.6%. This highlights a regional imbalance in gender inclusion within India’s equity markets.