Rs 1 lakh in Nifty 100 grows to Rs 34 lakh in two decades

A Rs 1 lakh investment in the Nifty 100 Total Return Index in 2003 would have grown to Rs 34.46 lakh by June 2026, a compounded annual growth rate of 16.2%, according to data from UTI Mutual Fund. The index, which tracks the 100 largest and most liquid Indian companies and includes reinvested dividends, fell 61% during the 2008 financial crisis, 38% in the 2020 Covid crash, and 17% during the 2025 US tariff and West Asia conflict correction.

Despite these declines, the investment recovered and continued compounding. The data highlights the gap between the size of individual market falls and the long-term outcome. Livemint reports that the study also examines investor psychology, noting that rising markets can fuel excessive optimism and risk-taking, while sharp falls often trigger panic and exit decisions that can cause investors to miss subsequent recoveries.