India Sees Record-High Adoptions In 2024-25, Highest In 12 Years; 4,515 Children Find Families

Mumbai, 3rd April 2025: In a significant milestone, a total of 4,515 orphaned children were adopted across India in the 2024-25 period—the highest number in the last 12 years, surpassing the figures recorded in 2015-16. This surge in adoptions highlights a growing societal acceptance and willingness among families to provide homes for orphaned children.

The success of this adoption drive is largely attributed to the efforts of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), which launched an extensive awareness campaign to encourage adoption. As per CARA’s records, 8,598 children are still awaiting adoption. To streamline the adoption process further, the authority, in coordination with state governments, has established 245 new adoption agencies across the country.

CARA has conducted 45 virtual and in-person training sessions across 12 states and union territories. These sessions focused on educating prospective adoptive parents about the adoption process and providing counseling for both children and families. As part of its ongoing initiative, CARA organized adoption-related meetings in 16 states between October 2024 and January 2025. A national conference on adoption was also held in 2024 under the leadership of Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, where 500 representatives from across the country gathered to discuss improvements in the adoption process.

Following Supreme Court directives, CARA has taken a proactive approach to child welfare by categorizing orphaned children into five groups—orphans, abandoned children, voluntarily surrendered children, those without close relatives, and those whose parents are unable to provide care. The objective of this classification is to ensure that more children find homes within a structured and legal framework.

Efforts have also been made to facilitate the adoption of older children. CARA has developed specialized modules and incorporated digital technology to simplify the adoption process. A dedicated portal providing legal information on adoption has been launched, including specific modules for adoptions by relatives or close acquaintances. These advancements have helped reduce the adoption timeline to three to four months, making the process more efficient and accessible.