The year 2023 stands out as a record-breaking year for real estate across all asset classes reflected by the strong performance indicators of both demand and supply. As the real estate sector continues its journey on a steep growth curve, developers are building a robust supply pipeline by investing in acquisition of land across the country. A total of 1,947 acres of land valued at INR 32,203 crore in 111 separate deals were acquired by real estate developers in 2023 as compared to 1,603 acres in 2022 (valued at INR 18,112 crore), up by 21% Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y). The land acquired has a development potential of ~176 million sq. ft.
The average transacted value of land has touched INR 16.5 crore per acre in 2023, up by 46% as compared to the previous year. This staggering increase is attributable to higher land transactions in Tier 1 cities and established prime micro markets. In addition, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the most expensive real estate market in the country doubled its share in total land area transacted in India from 7% in 2022 to 15% in 2023 and contributed significantly to this increase in per acre transacted value.
Tier 1 cities accounted for 65% of the total land transacted in the country. Developers are strategically acquiring land in both prime locations in the metro cities as well as entering newer markets and pockets of growth.
Land Transaction Snapshot-2023
Total number of land deals in 2023 | 111 |
Area of land acquired in 2023 | 1,947 acres |
Value of land transactions | INR 32,203 crore |
Estimated development potential | 176 million sq ft |
Source: JLL Research
In 2023, Delhi NCR led both in terms of number and area of land deals, with 415 acres acquired across 36 separate transactions valued at approximately INR 9,120 crore. Select established players acquired multiple land parcels across Delhi NCR. Out of these 415 acres, around 264 acres (64%) valued over INR 5,300 crore was acquired in Gurgaon alone. This was followed by Noida with over 59 acres (14%) land being acquired valued at around INR 1,775 crore. Delhi, Faridabad and Sonipat contributed the rest.
Bengaluru followed Delhi NCR, with close to 305 acres of land acquisitions across 14 separate transactions valued at INR 3,412 crore. MMR saw 24 separate land deals spread over 289 acres valued at INR 11,222 crore – the highest in the country. This translates into average transacted value of INR 39 crore per acre, which is 2.3 X of the average pan India land value. In Chennai, a total of 209 acres of land was acquired valued at INR 1,220 crore across 8 separate deals.
Other cities like Nagpur, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, and Ayodhya experienced prominent developers acquiring land. Ludhiana led in terms of area acquired in Tier 2 and 3 cities with around 320 acres of land transacted.