Best Retirement Funds in India

29 retirement funds in India, of which 20 meet the eligibility criteria, ranked on 5Y return. Saving for retirement or a child’s education?

These carry lock-ins tied to the goal. Ranked on 5-year annualised return (CAGR).

Retirement Funds ranked by 5Y return

#
1ICICI Prudential Retirement Fund - Pure Equity - Direct Plan - Growth OptionPlatinum+20.85%+13.13%+22.67%+25.80%100%-37.2%₹2,096 Cr0.87%
2ICICI Prudential Retirement Fund - Hybrid Aggressive - Direct Plan - Growth OptionPlatinum+16.44%+13.53%+20.14%+20.74%95%-28.7%₹1,273 Cr1.18%
3HDFC Retirement Savings Fund - Equity Plan - Growth Option - Direct Plan+13.71%-0.28%+11.25%+19.59%73%-34.9%₹7,014 Cr0.92%
4Aditya Birla Sun Life Retirement Fund-The 30s Plan-Direct GrowthGold+13.52%+17.75%+17.52%+14.83%68%-34.2%₹473 Cr1.35%
5SBI Retirement Benefit Fund - Aggressive Plan - Direct Plan - GrowthBronze+13.17%+5.86%+11.08%+15.31%82%-17.9%₹3,159 Cr1.10%
6Nippon India Retirement Fund- Wealth Creation Scheme- Direct Plan- Growth Plan - Growth Option+13.04%+3.96%+13.62%+13.12%51%-44.9%₹3,135 Cr1.28%
7SBI Retirement Benefit Fund - Aggressive Hybrid Plan - Direct Plan - GrowthGold+12.68%+8.13%+11.53%+14.49%77%-14.5%₹1,629 Cr1.18%
8Tata Retirement Savings Fund- Progressive Plan -Direct Plan-Growth OptionGold+12.44%+10.17%+15.21%+16.83%80%-34.2%₹2,217 Cr0.82%
9Tata Retirement Savings Fund- Moderate Plan -Direct Plan-Growth OptionGold+12.15%+9.74%+14.24%+15.49%75%-29.6%₹2,218 Cr0.83%
10Axis Retirement Fund - Dynamic Plan - Direct Growth+10.45%+4.29%+14.23%+14.29%73%-17.1%₹285 Cr1.40%
11Aditya Birla Sun Life Retirement Fund-The 40s Plan-Direct Plan-GrowthBronze+10.38%+7.32%+12.68%+12.80%47%-27.3%₹116 Cr1.12%
12HDFC Retirement Savings Fund - Hybrid-Equity Plan - Growth Option - Direct Plan+10.28%-0.38%+9.04%+15.86%70%-27.5%₹1,630 Cr1.10%
13UTI Retirement Fund- Direct Plan+9.95%+4.36%+10.06%+10.54%23%-18.9%₹4,725 Cr1.10%
14Axis Retirement Fund - Aggressive Plan - Direct Growth+9.07%+4.24%+13.30%+13.07%53%-25.9%₹709 Cr1.29%
15SBI Retirement Benefit Fund - Conservative Hybrid Plan - Direct Plan - GrowthBronze+8.68%+4.29%+8.18%+10.51%4%-6.9%₹256 Cr1.24%
16Franklin India Retirement Fund - Direct - Growth+7.91%+1.89%+8.75%+9.68%16%-13.8%₹495 Cr1.53%
17HDFC Retirement Savings Fund - Hybrid-Debt Plan - Growth Option - Direct Plan+7.62%+3.08%+7.55%+9.37%0%-7.8%₹148 Cr1.35%
18SBI Retirement Benefit Fund - Conservative Plan - Direct Plan - GrowthBronze+7.46%+3.93%+7.39%+8.95%0%-4.5%₹141 Cr0.97%
19Tata Retirement Savings Fund- Conservative Plan-Direct Plan-Growth OptionBronze+7.46%+6.35%+8.80%+9.23%13%-11.0%₹169 Cr1.05%
20Nippon India Retirement Fund- Income Generation Scheme- Direct Plan- Growth Plan - Growth Option+7.39%+3.28%+8.02%+8.14%0%-7.4%₹144 Cr0.98%

Badges are our own quality tiers — Platinum (top 10%), Gold (25%), Silver (50%), Bronze (75%) — scored within each sub-category, so they compare a fund with its peers and not with funds of a different type. “3Y typical” is the median annualised return across every 3-year holding period the fund has lived through, not a single 3-year figure; “3Y loss odds” is the share of those periods that ended down. “Beat peers” is the share in which it beat its category's median, and “worst fall” is its deepest peak-to-trough drop. Open a fund for the full distribution. Click any column heading to re-sort — including the fund name, which groups a house’s funds together. Funds with no value for a column sort last. Returns over 1 year are annualised (CAGR). Past performance does not indicate future returns. Eligibility: Direct, Growth only, minimum AUM ₹100 Cr, at least 5 year(s) old. Past performance. Returns for 3y/5y are annualised (CAGR) and are withheld where the NAV series does not support the period.

Retirement Funds — FAQs
How do retirement and children’s funds differ from ordinary funds?

They are solution-oriented categories with a mandatory lock-in — five years or until retirement age for retirement funds, and five years or until the child turns 18 for children’s funds. The underlying portfolios resemble other equity or hybrid funds; the lock-in is the distinguishing feature.