About Investment Friendliness Index (IFI) 2026:
- It is the country’s first IFI released by the NITI Aayog.
- It assesses how well Indian states and Union Territories are positioned to attract investments.
- It covers all 28 states and 8 Union Territories and evaluates investment attractiveness across the following eight pillars:
- Infrastructure
- Business climate
- Resources
- Government policy
- Regulatory Ease
- Institutional Environment
- Financial Health; and
- Environmental Resilience
- The framework comprises 84 indicators, incorporating both secondary data and perception-based measures derived from a primary survey of investors.
- The index uses a 100-point scale and serves as a benchmark for states to improve their investment environment.
- Each state has scored on different aspects using a mix of primary surveys and publicly available data.
- Based on overall scores, States and Union Territories have been classified into four performance categories:
- Top Performers (scores above 50)
- Frontrunners (45–50)
- Emerging Performers (≥40 – <45)
- Aspiring States (below 40)
- States and Union Territories have also been assessed within three peer groups - Large States, Hilly and Northeastern States, and Union Territories and City States.
- Highlights of IFI 2026:
- 5 states were identified as top performers: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Odisha.
- 15 States have been classified as Frontrunners, while 8 States/UTs have been placed in each of the Emerging Performers and Aspiring States categories.
- Among the large states, Gujarat secured the first rank, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which are also the top three performers in the overall Index.
- In the Hilly and Northeastern States category, Uttarakhand emerged as the highest-ranked State, followed by Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
- Among the City States and Union Territories, Goa secured the top position, followed by Delhi and Chandigarh.
