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

#Fund
1ICICI Prudential Retirement Fund - Pure Equity - Direct Plan - Growth OptionGold+21.13%+12.96%+22.23%+25.84%100%-37.2%₹1,998 Cr0.88%
2ICICI Prudential Retirement Fund - Hybrid Aggressive - Direct Plan - Growth OptionPlatinum+16.65%+13.41%+19.69%+20.79%95%-28.7%₹1,240 Cr1.18%
3HDFC Retirement Savings Fund - Equity Plan - Growth Option - Direct PlanBronze+13.88%+0.65%+11.29%+19.66%73%-34.9%₹6,832 Cr0.94%
4Aditya Birla Sun Life Retirement Fund-The 30s Plan-Direct GrowthSilver+13.73%+19.11%+17.22%+14.79%68%-34.2%₹464 Cr1.35%
5Nippon India Retirement Fund- Wealth Creation Scheme- Direct Plan- Growth Plan - Growth Option+13.39%+4.29%+13.22%+13.08%51%-44.9%₹3,084 Cr1.29%
6SBI Retirement Benefit Fund - Aggressive Plan - Direct Plan - GrowthBronze+13.32%+5.95%+10.56%+15.44%84%-17.9%₹3,113 Cr1.10%
7SBI Retirement Benefit Fund - Aggressive Hybrid Plan - Direct Plan - GrowthGold+12.80%+7.96%+11.10%+14.54%78%-14.5%₹1,616 Cr1.21%
8Tata Retirement Savings Fund- Progressive Plan -Direct Plan-Growth OptionSilver+12.56%+9.58%+15.04%+16.84%80%-34.2%₹2,164 Cr0.82%
9Tata Retirement Savings Fund- Moderate Plan -Direct Plan-Growth OptionSilver+12.28%+9.11%+14.01%+15.51%75%-29.6%₹2,177 Cr0.83%
10Axis Retirement Fund - Dynamic Plan - Direct GrowthBronze+10.55%+4.38%+13.73%+14.36%73%-17.1%₹283 Cr1.40%
11HDFC Retirement Savings Fund - Hybrid-Equity Plan - Growth Option - Direct Plan+10.48%+0.18%+9.09%+15.88%70%-27.5%₹1,614 Cr1.10%
12Aditya Birla Sun Life Retirement Fund-The 40s Plan-Direct Plan-Growth+10.43%+7.68%+12.30%+12.83%48%-27.3%₹113 Cr1.12%
13UTI Retirement Fund- Direct Plan+10.08%+4.26%+9.98%+10.56%23%-18.9%₹4,698 Cr1.10%
14Axis Retirement Fund - Aggressive Plan - Direct Growth+9.09%+4.18%+12.95%+13.05%52%-25.9%₹704 Cr1.29%
15SBI Retirement Benefit Fund - Conservative Hybrid Plan - Direct Plan - Growth+8.76%+4.12%+7.96%+10.54%4%-6.9%₹257 Cr1.24%
16Franklin India Retirement Fund - Direct - Growth+8.01%+2.03%+8.70%+9.71%16%-13.8%₹495 Cr1.53%
17HDFC Retirement Savings Fund - Hybrid-Debt Plan - Growth Option - Direct Plan+7.65%+3.00%+7.49%+9.38%0%-7.8%₹148 Cr1.35%
18SBI Retirement Benefit Fund - Conservative Plan - Direct Plan - Growth+7.50%+3.63%+7.27%+8.96%0%-4.5%₹145 Cr0.97%
19Tata Retirement Savings Fund- Conservative Plan-Direct Plan-Growth Option+7.50%+5.88%+8.69%+9.25%13%-11.0%₹169 Cr1.05%
20Nippon India Retirement Fund- Income Generation Scheme- Direct Plan- Growth Plan - Growth Option+7.43%+3.28%+7.83%+8.16%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 numeric column to re-sort; funds with no value for that 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.