India is set to release the first advance estimates of its gross domestic product (GDP) for the financial year 2025-26 (FY26) at 4 PM on January 7. The data, released by the National Statistical Office, will be closely watched by policymakers, investors and markets for cues on consumption trends, investment momentum and the impact of global uncertainties. It also comes ahead of the Union Budget 2026, scheduled to be presented on Sunday, February 1. Once the advance estimates are released, the government works with an assumed level of nominal GDP growth for the next financial year.The central government has projected the real GDP for the financial year ending on March 31, 2026 to be around 7.3 percent, following an acceleration in quarterly momentum, while consumer price inflation has eased sharply to 0.71 percent as of November 2025. Consumer price inflation fell sharply to 0.71 percent in November 2025, while the unemployment rate declined to 4.7 percent in November 2025, its lowest level since April. These figures indicate accelerating growth alongside easing price pressures and improving labour market conditions going into the second half of the fiscal year.