This study investigates the patterns and structural dynamics of India’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) from 2015 to 2025, focusing on its temporal trends, sectoral composition, financing modes, and geographic reach. Employing an integrated methodology that combines descriptive statistics, the Mann–Kendall test, Sen’s Slope Estimator, and two-way ANOVA, the research traces the evolution of Indian OFDI across equity, loan, and guarantee components, and evaluates whether investments are becoming more concentrated in high-value, innovation-driven sectors. The findings reveal a clear shift from risk-mitigated guarantee financing to equity- and loan-led internationalization, with technology-intensive services and manufacturing emerging as the primary destinations. Regional analysis highlights a concentration of OFDI in Asia, Europe, and North America, with Singapore and the US as top host countries. Statistical tests confirm that both sectoral and temporal differences in OFDI are significant and structural rather than random. The results underscore India’s strategic use of OFDI as a tool for global integration, capability building, and reverse knowledge transfer, arguing that outward investment increasingly underpins the country’s drive for technological advancement and international competitiveness..