Foreign Investors Withdraw ₹27,048 Crore from India So Far in May

In the current month of May (till May 24), Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have withdrawn ₹27,048 crore from the Indian stock market. Amidst a volatile global economic environment and geopolitical tensions, foreign investors have been consistently reducing their stake in the Indian equity market portfolio.
With this latest round of selling, the total outflow so far in the current year has surpassed the total sales recorded in the entire year of 2024, crossing over ₹2.2 lakh crore. According to National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) data, foreign investors have been net sellers in every single month of 2026 except for February.
Month-on-Month Trends in 2026

• January: Foreign investors withdrew ₹35,962 crore from the market.
• February: The trend bucked temporarily, seeing an investment of ₹22,615 crore, which stands as the highest monthly inflow in the last 17 months.
• March: Foreign investors turned net sellers again, offloading shares worth ₹1.17 lakh crore.
• April: The selling pressure intensified dramatically as FPIs pulled out a net ₹60,847 crore (approximately $2.2 trillion).
  The relentless selling streak has continued uninterrupted into May. Analysts point out that various factors are heavily influencing foreign investors’ sentiment, causing this massive pullback. In 2026 so far, the cumulative outflow has reached over ₹2.2 trillion ($2.2 trillion approximately), completely eclipsing the overall selling figures seen in the year 2025.