New Delhi, March 9 -- The National Pension System (NPS) is among two key retirement schemes in India. The other one is the Employee Provident Fund (EPF), which employees and employers are required to contribute to mandatorily. Depending on their risk appetite, investors can opt for equities to maximize the return potential in NPS or even combine it with debt (corporate or government securities).

Here is a look at how equity and debt categories of NPS schemes have performed over time versus the respective benchmark indices.

A three-year rolling return analysis of NPS equity schemes -- with at least a 10-year track record - showed average returns of 13.5%. Net asset value (NAV) history from 28 February 2015 to 28 February 2025 was conside...