Foreign companies leased 11.16 million square feet of office space in India’s nine major cities during the January–March quarter of 2025, accounting for 62% of total demand, according to a report by real estate consulting firm CBRE, as published by Business Standard.
The report noted that overall gross leasing of office space rose 5% year-over-year, reaching 18 million square feet during the quarter, up from 17.1 million square feet in the same period last year. Domestic firms contributed 6.84 million square feet of leasing activity.
The nine cities covered in the report include Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Kochi.
“India’s office sector is on a solid trajectory for sustained leasing growth, driven by strategic expansions from both domestic and global occupiers,” said Anshuman Magazine, chairman and CEO of CBRE for India, South-East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Magazine highlighted that established markets like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai continue to dominate leasing activity. At the same time, cities such as Chennai and Pune are emerging as attractive options due to their strong talent pools and well-positioned supply pipelines.
He also pointed to a rising demand for sustainable and quality workspaces, as businesses increasingly prioritize employee experience and long-term scalability. A significant contributor to this trend, Magazine said, is the growing footprint of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), which continue to influence leasing patterns across the country.