BSE Sensex Historical Returns
The S&P BSE Sensex tracks 30 large companies on the BSE. Its history here comes from the NAV of an index fund that tracks it, so the returns include dividends and are after the fund's costs.
Price history
Month-end values, on a log scale (equal distances are equal percentage changes). Hover a year-end point for its value.
About BSE Sensex
The S&P BSE Sensex tracks 30 large companies listed on the BSE, India's oldest stock exchange.
What it means for investors. Like the Nifty 50, it reflects large-cap Indian equity. The two usually move closely together; small differences come from the different list of companies and their weights.
Returns over time
| Series | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | 15Y | 20Y | Max fall | Data to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSE Sensex | −10.6% | 3.8% | 4.9% | 10.7% | 11.2% | 9.2% | −62% | 1 Oct 2026 |
Annualised (CAGR) for periods of a year or more, ending on each series' latest date. “n/a” means the series does not go back that far. Max fall: the largest fall from a previous peak over the whole history.
AMFI NAV history (daily NAV file; earlier history via mfapi.in, which republishes AMFI NAVs), stored and cleaned by MFIC. Proxy: HDFC BSE Sensex Index Fund (Regular, growth) (total return after fund costs (proxy)). Data 3 Apr 2006 to 1 Oct 2026.
Calendar-year returns
| Year | Return |
|---|---|
| 2026 to 1 Oct | −15.1% |
| 2025 | 9.9% |
| 2024 | 9.0% |
| 2023 | 19.8% |
| 2022 | 5.3% |
| 2021 | 22.6% |
| 2020 | 16.2% |
| 2019 | 15.1% |
| 2018 | 6.7% |
| 2017 | 28.9% |
| 2016 | 3.3% |
| 2015 | −3.9% |
Over 19 complete calendar years since 2007, BSE Sensex rose in 16. Best: 2009 (+75.1%). Worst: 2008 (−53.9%).
Year-end to year-end, from AMFI NAV history (daily NAV file; earlier history via mfapi.in, which republishes AMFI NAVs), stored and cleaned by MFIC.
Falls from peak and recovery
| Peak | Bottom | Fall | Months down | Back to peak | Months to recover | Events in the fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | Mar 2026 | −16.1% | 3 | not yet | — | — |
| Sep 2024 | Mar 2025 | −14.8% | 5 | Nov 2025 | 9 | — |
| Oct 2021 | Jun 2022 | −16.3% | 8 | Nov 2022 | 5 | Russia–Ukraine war begins; RBI off-cycle rate hike |
| Jan 2020 | Mar 2020 | −38.1% | 2 | Nov 2020 | 7 | COVID-19 declared a pandemic |
| Aug 2018 | Oct 2018 | −14.2% | 2 | Apr 2019 | 5 | NBFC sell-off |
| Sep 2016 | Nov 2016 | −11.1% | 2 | Mar 2017 | 3 | Demonetisation |
| Jan 2015 | Feb 2016 | −21.5% | 12 | Sep 2016 | 7 | Yuan devaluation |
| Jan 2008 | Mar 2009 | −62.3% | 14 | Mar 2014 | 60 | January 2008 sell-off; Lehman Brothers bankruptcy; RBI cuts repo rate (GFC) |
| Jul 2007 | Aug 2007 | −11.2% | 1 | Sep 2007 | 1 | — |
| Feb 2007 | Mar 2007 | −15.3% | 1 | Jul 2007 | 4 | — |
| May 2006 | Jun 2006 | −26.2% | 1 | Oct 2006 | 4 | — |
Each fall of 10% or more from a previous high, measured on daily data. The 11 deepest are shown. “Back to peak” is the first date it regained the previous high.
Rolling returns: the range of outcomes
| Holding period | Periods | Median | Worst | Best | Middle half | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 235 | 11.8% | −54.5% | 80.1% | 1.6% to 21.5% | 77% |
| 3 years | 211 | 11.2% | −4.2% | 26.8% | 6.3% to 15.2% | 97% |
| 5 years | 187 | 12.2% | −2.8% | 22.2% | 8.2% to 14.4% | 98% |
| 10 years | 127 | 11.7% | 5.0% | 15.3% | 8.8% to 13.4% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end in the history (overlapping). Annualised for periods over a year.
How it has moved with other assets
| Compared with | Correlation | Months |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | 0.99 | 245 |
| Gold (domestic, ₹) | −0.13 | 233 |
| Silver (domestic, ₹) | −0.05 | 56 |
| 10-year G-Sec (bond fund) | 0.07 | 245 |
| USD/INR | −0.58 | 245 |
| S&P 500 (in ₹) | 0.35 | 77 |
Correlation of monthly returns over the months both series have: +1 moves together, 0 unrelated, −1 opposite. Relationships change over time.
Questions
- What has BSE Sensex returned over the long run?
- Calculated from HDFC BSE Sensex Index Fund (Regular, growth), BSE Sensex returned 10.7% a year over the 10 years to 1 Oct 2026, and 3.8% a year over 3 years. Past returns do not indicate future returns.
- What was the biggest fall in BSE Sensex?
- In the data available from Apr 2006, the largest fall from a previous peak was −62.3%, from Jan 2008 to Mar 2009, and it regained the peak in Mar 2014 (60 months after the bottom). There were 11 falls of 10% or more, 4 of them 20% or more.
- How often has BSE Sensex been positive over one year?
- Across 235 one-year periods starting at month-ends, 77% were positive; the range was −54.5% to 80.1%. Over five-year periods (187), 98% were positive, with annualised returns from −2.8% to 22.2%.
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