How often has a year in the Nifty 50 ended lower?
Every one-, three- and five-year stretch in the Nifty 50's record: how many ended lower, and the lowest and highest changes.
Figures as of 26 Oct 2026 (end of day) · 4 min read · first published 27 Oct 2026
Pick any trading day in the Nifty 50's record from January 2021 to October 2026 and look one year back. There are 1,192 such one-year stretches, overlapping one another. In 225 of them, 18.9% or about 1 in 5, the index ended lower than it started.
The spread is wide. The lowest one-year change, ending 23 Oct 2026, was −12.7%; the highest, ending 4 Nov 2024, was +35.4%.
Longer stretches
Over 3-year stretches (698 of them), none ended lower in this record. The lowest 3-year change was +13.0% (to 12 Oct 2026). The median was +42%.
Over 5-year stretches (201 of them), none ended lower in this record. The lowest 5-year change was +23.4% (to 14 Oct 2026). The median was +54%.
What this record can't tell you
This record covers about 6 years of one index. The stretches overlap, so they are far from independent samples, and longer stretches are fewer and more alike. Other periods in Indian market history included much longer spells below a previous high. Prices exclude dividends, costs and taxes. None of this describes what the next year or five years will bring.
Related: returns and CAGR in Learn, and how concentrated the rises were.
A description of past data, not a view on any company or index, a forecast or investment advice. Past patterns do not tell you what will happen next. Disclaimer