70% think Rs 1 crore is enough for retirement; can it meet your retirement goal?

For years, Rs 1 crore has been viewed as a retirement benchmark. But the latest Bharosa Talks India Retirement Index Study (IRIS) 6.0, conducted by Axis Max Life Insurance, shows that fewer urban Indians now believe this amount is enough for a comfortable retirement.

In 2025, 77% of urban Indians said Rs 1 crore or less would be sufficient to retire comfortably. In 2026, this fell to 70%, indicating a decline in confidence in the Rs 1 crore retirement benchmark.

At the same time, Indians have accumulated only 28% of their target retirement corpus on average, highlighting the gap between the amount they think they need and what they have actually built.


Among respondents with annual household income above Rs 15 lakh, only 51% believe Rs 1 crore or less is sufficient. Among metro residents, the figure stands at 63%, compared with 73% in Tier I cities and 77% in Tier II cities.

This variation is important because the retirement corpus required by an individual will depend on factors such as current lifestyle, expected expenses, retirement age, inflation, healthcare costs and how long the corpus needs to support them.

The study also points to changing retirement aspirations, growing financial anxiety closer to retirement and a greater focus on health, family support and life after work.

Indians know their retirement number, but the corpus gap remains

Knowing how much money will be required in retirement does not necessarily mean enough has been accumulated.

The study found that 61% of urban Indians know the corpus they would require to sustain their current lifestyle during retirement. Yet only 11% believe their retirement corpus will last their lifetime, while 39% think it may not last even five years.

Why are people thinking about retirement earlier?

Retirement is no longer being viewed only as an event that begins around the traditional retirement age.

The study found that 7 in 10 urban Indians would like to retire before the traditional retirement age of 58–60 if their financial needs were fully taken care of. Half of those who want to retire early aim to achieve Financial Independence and Retire Early (FIRE) before the age of 50.

However, respondents have accumulated only 28% of their target retirement corpus on average, highlighting the distance between retirement ambition and financial readiness for retirement.

“The finding that 82% of Gen X+ respondents expect to continue working for a steady income highlights a critical reality: retirement is not about reaching a certain age, but about having the financial freedom to choose what comes next. True retirement readiness should empower individuals to work because they want to, not because they need to,” says Sumit Madan, MD & CEO, Axis Max Life Insurance.

Encouragingly, younger Indians are beginning their retirement journey much earlier, signalling a welcome shift from reactive planning to proactive preparation. The task ahead is to convert this intent into sustained action across finances, health and emotional wellbeing, because a secure retirement is ultimately about independence, choice and peace of mind, he adds.

One in two urban Indians believes retirement planning should begin with the first paycheque. Overall, respondents believe they should start thinking about retirement savings at an average age of 31. The number is even lower for Gen Z, at 29 years, compared with 31 years for Millennials and 34 years for Gen X+.

62% of Gen Z respondents have already started investing for retirement, compared with 70% of Millennials and 75% of Gen X+.

Retirement preparedness is about more than building a corpus

Financial savings are only one part of retirement preparedness. The IRIS 6.0 framework considers financial, health and emotional preparedness.

The overall IRIS score increased marginally to 49 in 2026 from 48 in 2025, compared with 44 in 2022. The financial preparedness score improved to 52 from 51, while health preparedness remained at 46. Emotional preparedness stood at 57, compared with 58 in 2025.

The findings suggest that being financially prepared for retirement is only one aspect of being ready for life after work.

Health is becoming a bigger part of retirement planning

Healthcare costs can become an important consideration once regular employment income stops, and the study shows that Indians are paying greater attention to healthy ageing.

The study found that 75% of respondents believe they will remain healthy and fit during their retirement years, although this was down from 79% in 2025.

On preventive measures, 41% of respondents said they regularly engage in physical activities, while 21% use simple wearable devices to track their health. Around 52% said they have purchased health insurance. The study also found that 17% participate in physical activities such as running and 16% have attended therapy or psychological consultation.

These findings show that retirement preparation is extending beyond investments to physical and emotional wellbeing.

What do Indians want to do after retirement?

Retirement aspirations are also moving beyond simply stopping work.

According to the study, 28% of respondents look forward to travel, hobbies and personal passions during retirement. The findings indicate that retirement aspirations are increasingly linked to personal interests and activities rather than only leisure after leaving the workforce.

This makes the calculation of a retirement corpus more individual-specific. A person planning to travel extensively may have a very different post-retirement spending requirement from someone expecting to maintain a relatively modest lifestyle.

What does this mean for someone planning retirement?

The study's findings suggest that there is no single retirement corpus that can be considered adequate for everyone.

A Rs 1 crore corpus may mean very different things for two individuals depending on when they retire, their expected monthly expenses, inflation, healthcare requirements, other sources of income and the number of years for which the corpus needs to last.

The more useful approach is to first estimate your retirement expenses and the income you are likely to need, and then work backwards to determine the corpus required. Starting earlier also gives an individual more time to build the corpus and adjust contributions as income and financial goals change.