India’s share in global foreign direct investment (FDI) has doubled in recent years, but the country needs to significantly improve its storytelling to global investors to sustain momentum, Invest India CEO Nivruti Rai said on Thursday.
Speaking to media here on Thursday, Rai said India’s FDI share has risen from an average of about 3% before 2019 to nearly 6% in recent years, even as global capital flows remain competitive.
Rai said India is on track to attract an average of $100 billion in annual FDI over the next seven years if current growth trends continue. However, the government aims to push this further to $130 billion by 2030 by accelerating reforms and investment facilitation.
“This is a heavy lift,” she acknowledged, noting that the US continues to attract about $300 billion annually, while China drew around $116 billion in the latest comparable period. The strategy, she said, is not about competing with any specific country but about scaling India’s economic growth and improving per capita income.
Rai highlighted a shift in Invest India’s approach — from facilitating inbound investments to actively targeting specific sectors and countries. “We are no longer just marketing India. We are proactively seeking investments aligned with India’s strategic priorities,” she said.
The agency now focuses on nine key sectors and 11 countries that together account for nearly 65% of global FDI flows. These include emerging areas such as electronics, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.
She emphasised that AI will be a critical driver of economic growth, data control, and even military capability, making it a strategic priority alongside defence and advanced manufacturing.
Invest India currently tracks over 5,000 investment leads, of which around 3,000 are in advanced stages. These represent potential investments of roughly $45 billion.
In the past year, projects worth about $6.1 billion were grounded, generating an estimated 30,000 direct jobs. Rai noted that sectors like electronics and data centres may create fewer direct jobs but have significant indirect employment multipliers.