New Delhi, September 2026 : India has emerged as the highest-ranked market for business climate among 40 global markets surveyed in the 2026 Business Climate Survey conducted by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in India (SCCI), Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.
Welcoming the findings, Goyal said India had established itself as an attractive destination for global businesses despite continuing geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
“India is the world's favourite destination to do business. Amid global turbulence, India's business climate is setting the gold standard for stability, growth, and ease of doing business,” Goyal said in a post on social media platform X.
The Global Business Climate Survey 2026 provides insights into the business environment across 41 international markets and reflects the experiences and expectations of Swedish companies operating or planning to operate overseas.
The annual survey is designed to provide a framework for assessing economic performance, business outlook and operating conditions across important Swedish export markets. It also identifies challenges faced by companies and opportunities for Swedish businesses seeking to enter new markets or expand their presence in existing ones.
According to the survey, the Asia-Pacific region continues to record the most optimistic business sentiment, with India and Vietnam among the highest-rated markets. India also features prominently among the markets where Swedish companies expect stronger growth and investment opportunities.
The survey, however, noted significant variations across regions. Sentiment in the Middle East and Africa has become more cautious, with Saudi Arabia witnessing a sharp decline in the proportion of companies reporting a positive outlook. The share fell from 90 per cent in 2025 to 44 per cent in 2026.
Business perceptions in Europe and the Americas were described as somewhat more positive compared with the previous year. Ireland also entered the survey's top tier of markets.
The survey cautioned that its findings should be interpreted carefully because data collection overlapped with the outbreak of the war in the Middle East on February 28. Around 75 per cent of the responses were collected before the conflict began, while the remaining 25 per cent were submitted afterwards.
As a result, the survey said the potential impact of the conflict may only be partially reflected in the overall findings. A comparison between responses received before and after February 28 indicated that the conflict had an impact on companies’ perceptions of the business climate, expectations regarding industry turnover and investment plans.
Despite differences in business sentiment across regions and markets, 64 per cent of Swedish companies surveyed reported being profitable in the markets covered by the study.
The Americas recorded the strongest regional expectations for future performance, while India, the Philippines and Poland registered the highest market-level growth projections.
Investment intentions also remained relatively resilient. The survey found that 44 per cent of Swedish companies planned to increase investments in 2026, marginally lower than the 45 per cent recorded in 2025.
The report attributed much of the decline to a slowdown in the Americas. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific region remained broadly stable, with India and the Philippines continuing to rank among the leading investment destinations.
Europe, meanwhile, trailed other regions in investment expectations.
The findings underline India's growing significance in the global business landscape and its continued appeal to international companies seeking markets offering growth prospects and relatively stable operating conditions.
