MC-Deloitte CXO Survey: Over 80% of CXOs confident about India’s growth over next 12 months

Only a small proportion of respondents said they were slightly concerned

• 80% of CXOs confident in India's growth over the next year
• 69% expect India's GDP growth to hit 6.5%+ in FY2026–27
• CXOs balance optimism and caution amid global and domestic challenges

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More than 80 percent of senior corporate leaders surveyed expressed confidence in India’s economic growth prospects over the next 12 months.

In response to a question on India’s overall growth prospects over the next year, 47 CXOs participated in the survey. Of these, 60 percent said they were confident about the outlook, while 21 percent said they were very confident. Taken together, over 80 percent of respondents expressed a positive assessment of near-term growth.

A smaller segment of 6 percent CXOs adopted a neutral stance, while concerns were relatively limited. Only a small proportion of 8.5 percent respondents said they were slightly concerned, and those who described themselves as very concerned accounted for 4 percent CXOs.

Medium-term outlook remains supportive

Optimism broadly extends into the medium term as well. On expectations for economic growth in FY2026–27, 46 CXOs responded to the survey question.

Among them, 50 percent said they were optimistic, projecting gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the 6.5-7 percent range in the next fiscal year. A further 20 percent described themselves as extremely optimistic, expecting GDP growth to exceed 7 percent in 2026-27.

Taken together, nearly 70 percent of respondents expect India’s economy to expand at 6.5 percent or higher in FY2026–27.

At the same time, the survey reflects a degree of caution. 24 percent of CXOs said they held a neutral view, forecasting GDP growth in the 6–6.5 percent range, indicating expectations of moderation rather than acceleration.

Only a small fraction of 6.5 percent respondents were pessimistic, expecting GDP growth to fall below 6 percent in FY2026–27.

“The Indian economy will grow on account of domestic demand and infrastructure creation. It will withstand external volatility,” one of the respondents commented.

“India has the largest working class and population. The manufacturing, infrastructure consumerism is on a growth trajectory. India is acknowledged globally for its stable political and reliable economy,” another CXO said.

“Overall, growth of 6-7 percent will happen but the quality of growth is a concern,” a respondent wrote.

The distribution of responses suggests that while confidence among senior corporate leaders remains strong, expectations are anchored around realistic growth assumptions. The clustering of views around the 6.5-7 percent band indicates that CXOs are factoring in steady domestic demand and policy continuity, while remaining mindful of global uncertainties and structural constraints.

Overall, the CXO survey points to sustained confidence in India’s growth trajectory over both the near and medium term. At the same time, the presence of a sizeable neutral opinion suggests that corporate leaders are balancing optimism with caution as they navigate an evolving global and domestic economic environment.

The Moneycontrol- Deloitte CXO survey  was conducted by Moneycontrol and Deloitte between December 2025 and January 2026. The survey includes CXOs from across industries, such as, Banking and Insurance; Manufacturing; Transport and Logistics; Energy; Life Sciences and Health; Telecom and Tech; E-commerce. The respondents are representatives  of  companies across three categories - very large corporates (above Rs 3000 cr); large corporate company (Rs 500 cr to Rs 3000 cr) and MSMEs (Rs 500 cr and below).

CXO Survey

CXO Survey