The number
Of the 585 equity funds with a Direct plan, Growth option and a NAV in October 2026, 162 began in 2024, 2025 or 2026. That is 28%, more than a quarter of the shelf, and 106 of the 162 are sector or thematic funds.
The launch year here is the first date of NAV history for each fund's Direct plan. For a scheme that was already running when Direct plans started on 1 January 2013, that date is early January 2013, so the 2013 row below means "already running then", not "launched in 2013". Funds are Direct plan, Growth option, counted once per scheme, to NAVs of 13–14 October 2026. Closed-ended ELSS series, which no longer take money, are not counted.
Funds by year of first NAV
| First NAV | Funds | Of which sector or thematic | Median 1-year return | Median 3-year return | Median 5-year return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 (already running) | 190 | 58 | -2.2% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| 2014–2017 | 38 | 13 | — | — | — |
| 2018 | 16 | 7 | 4.2% | 14.8% | 12.8% |
| 2019 | 24 | 9 | 1.7% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 2020 | 25 | 11 | 2.2% | 12.7% | 11.1% |
| 2021 | 30 | 12 | 0.8% | 11.8% | 11.2% |
| 2022 | 41 | 12 | 1.0% | 13.5% | — |
| 2023 | 57 | 30 | 3.5% | 14.2% | — |
| 2024 | 70 | 53 | 1.7% | — | — |
| 2025 | 56 | 37 | 2.3% | — | — |
| 2026 (to 14 October) | 36 | 16 | — | — | — |
Launches rose from 25 in 2020 to a peak of 70 in 2024, dipped to 56 in 2025, and stand at 36 so far in 2026. Two funds that began in 2006 and 2008 are not shown.
The shelf has tilted to themes
Sector and thematic funds were 44% of 2018's launches (7 of 16) and 53% of 2023's (30 of 57). In 2024 they were 53 of 70, or 76%, and in 2025 37 of 56. Of the 258 sector and thematic funds on the shelf today, 41% began in 2024 or later. Among the diversified categories the newest are multi cap (30% of the category began since 2024), small cap and large & mid cap (25% each), and flexi cap (20%). Hardly any ELSS (3%) or focused (4%) funds are new. The fuller story of the thematic wave, and how many of its funds sit below their launch price, is in our note on thematic funds launched in 2024.
Do younger funds do better?
Not as a rule. The 2022 and 2023 cohorts show three-year medians of 13.5% and 14.2% a year, against 11.4% for the 190 funds that go back to 2013; only the small 2018 cohort (16 funds, 14.8%) is higher. All are measured to the same date, but a fund's three-year window starts when it opens, so the gap is a difference in start date, not proof of skill. Over five years, where the 2018 to 2021 cohorts can be compared, the medians sit between 10.2% and 12.8% a year, close to the 2013 group's 10.4%.
One-year returns are less flattering to the new. Among funds launched in 2024 or later with a full year of history, 42 of 116 (36%) were negative over one year; among funds from before 2024 it was 209 of 418 (50%). The newer group is far more tilted to sector and thematic funds, so the gap may be about mix rather than age; we have not separated the two.
Why a young record is hard to read
Survivorship runs one way. The 2013 row counts only funds still on the shelf. A fund merged or shut down in the meantime is not in the list.
A short record is mostly a start date. A three-year return depends on whether the starting month sat near a low. Two funds with the same manager and process can differ by several points a year depending on the month they opened.
Thematic funds hold concentrated bets, and a theme's year can dominate a young fund's whole record. See sector and thematic funds' risk and reward.
For funds launched this year, the return since launch of each is in a separate note, and the full list of recent launches, with dates and sizes, is on the new fund offers page. This is a description of the shelf, not a recommendation to buy or sell any fund; the screener shows any fund's age and record.
Frequently asked questions
How many equity mutual funds were launched since 2024?
Of 585 equity funds with a Direct plan, Growth option and a NAV in October 2026, 162 have NAV history starting in 2024 or later: 70 in 2024, 56 in 2025 and 36 so far in 2026. That is 28% of all equity funds, and 106 of the 162 are sector or thematic funds.
Are newer equity funds doing better than older ones?
Funds launched in 2022 and 2023 have median three-year returns of 13.5% and 14.2% a year, against 11.4% a year for the 190 funds that date from the start of Direct plans in January 2013. All cohorts are measured to the same date, so the gap reflects when each group's window started, not manager skill.
What does the launch year here mean?
It is the first date of NAV history for the Direct plan. For schemes that existed when Direct plans began on 1 January 2013, that is early January 2013, not the scheme's own launch, so the 2013 row is 'already running then', not 'launched in 2013'.
This is commentary on published data, not investment advice. WealthTicker is not a SEBI-registered adviser or distributor. Figures are WealthTicker’s own calculations from public data — AMFI’s fund NAVs and disclosures, NSE’s index and FII/DII files, and the fund houses’ monthly portfolios (how we calculate). They are as of the dates stated and can be revised by their source.
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