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NPS returns 2026: Tata tops short-term equity, ICICI leads 5-year
The National Pension System, or NPS, is a way for people in India to save money for retirement.
The money is invested in things like company shares, government bonds, and corporate debt.
Because returns depend on how these investments perform, different fund managers can give different results.
Over the past year, Tata Pension Fund earned the most for equity investments, with 4.19 percent.
It also did best over three years, with 12.47 percent.
But over five years, ICICI Prudential Pension Fund was the winner at 12.57 percent.
Some equity funds lost money, like DSP Pension Fund, which fell 5.57 percent in one year.
Debt funds gave steadier and more similar returns than equity funds.
No single fund manager was best at everything, so it helps to check performance regularly.
Tata Pension Fund delivered the best NPS equity returns over one year (4.19%) and three years (12.47%) as of 1 August 2026.
ICICI Prudential Pension Fund posted the highest five-year equity return of 12.57%.
DSP Pension Fund recorded the lowest one-year equity return at -5.57%, a gap of nearly 10 percentage points versus Tata.
Aditya Birla Sun Life led one-year government securities returns (3.17%), while UTI topped three years (7.17%); both shared the five-year lead (6.59% each).
HDFC Pension Fund was the top corporate debt performer over three years (8.07%) and five years (7.00%), with UTI leading the one-year category (5.83%).
- Who
- Pension fund managers including Tata, ICICI Prudential, Aditya Birla Sun Life, UTI, HDFC, DSP, Axis, SBI, Kotak Mahindra, and LIC, with rankings based on data from NPS Trust.
- What
- NPS return rankings were released across equity, government securities, and corporate debt asset classes for one, three, and five-year periods.
- Where
- India
- When
- Data as of 1 August 2026.
- Why
- To show how fund manager performance varies and help NPS subscribers make informed retirement planning decisions.
Key facts
- Data source
- NPS Trust
- Data as of
- 1 August 2026
- Top 1-year equity return
- Tata Pension Fund, 4.19%
- Top 3-year equity return
- Tata Pension Fund, 12.47%
- Top 5-year equity return
- ICICI Prudential Pension Fund, 12.57%
- Lowest 1-year equity return
- DSP Pension Fund, -5.57%
- Top 1-year government securities return
- Aditya Birla Sun Life, 3.17%
- Top 5-year corporate debt return
- HDFC Pension Fund, 7.00%
Sources
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