Seven in 10 urban Indians aspire to retire before the traditional retirement age of 58–60 if their financial needs are adequately met, while half of them want to achieve financial independence and retire early (FIRE) before 50, according to the sixth edition of Axis Max Life Insurance’s Bharosa Talks India Retirement Index Study (IRIS 6.0), conducted with Kantar. The study, however, highlighted a significant gap between retirement aspirations and preparedness. Urban Indians have accumulated only 28% of their target retirement corpus on average, while 82% of Gen X+ respondents aged 45 and above believe they may need to continue working or running a business for a steady income. As many as 91% of this group regret not starting retirement investments earlier.
The report said one in two urban Indians believes retirement planning should begin with the first salary, while 62% of Gen Z respondents have already started investing for retirement. The overall IRIS score rose to 49 in 2026 from 48 in 2025 and 44 in 2022. In Itanagar, the findings point to growing relevance of early retirement and long-term financial planning as younger salaried professionals increasingly enter formal investment and insurance markets. The broader trend towards starting retirement planning with the first paycheque could also support greater awareness of long-term savings products in the capital and across Arunachal Pradesh.
Regionally, East India recorded the highest IRIS score of 52, followed by West and South at 49 and North at 47. Tier II cities improved from 44 to 48, narrowing the gap with metros at 50. Women recorded an IRIS score of 49, equal to men.
