India tops global consumer confidence index at 66.6, driven by strong finances and investment optimism despite employment concerns rising.
New Delhi
India has retained its position as the world’s most confident consumer market in May 2026, according to the latest LSEG-Ipsos Primary Consumer Sentiment Index (PCSI). The country recorded a score of 66.6, marking a marginal increase of 0.4 percentage points from the previous month.
The report noted that India was the only country among surveyed markets to cross the 60-point threshold, reinforcing its lead in global consumer sentiment despite ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
Malaysia and Indonesia followed India with identical scores of 56.7, while Sweden registered 55.4. Brazil and Mexico recorded moderate sentiment levels at 52.3 and 51 respectively. At the lower end of the index, France stood at 39.3, Japan at 37.8, and Turkey remained the weakest performer at 35.6.
India’s overall improvement was driven mainly by stronger confidence in personal finances and investment outlook. The sub-index for personal financial conditions rose by 1.2 percentage points, while the investment sentiment index increased by 1.7 points during the month.
However, not all indicators moved positively. The employment sub-index fell by 1.5 percentage points, reflecting growing concerns over job security amid global uncertainty and technology-driven disruption. The economic expectations index remained largely stable, edging up only slightly by 0.1 percentage points.
Experts noted that consumer sentiment remained resilient despite external pressures such as rising crude oil prices, fluctuations in the rupee and geopolitical tensions linked to the Strait of Hormuz and broader West Asia developments.
Suresh Ramalingam, CEO of Ipsos India, said households continued to show optimism about personal finances and investment prospects even as employment concerns increased due to artificial intelligence-led disruption and corporate cost-cutting trends.
He added that recent fuel price increases could add inflationary pressure on household budgets in the coming months, though government measures have helped cushion some of the impact.
The monthly PCSI survey tracks sentiment across four key areas—personal finances, economic expectations, employment and investment outlook—and is widely used as an indicator of consumer demand and broader economic momentum.
