Overview

• CARA reports 4,515 adoptions in FY 2024-25, the highest in more than a decade, with 4,155 domestic placements and 360 inter-country.
• More than 36,000 registered prospective adoptive parents are waiting for 2,749 legally available children, and the average wait is about 3.5 years.
• About 65% of children available for placement are classified as having special needs, yet only 328 special-needs adoptions were completed in 2024-25.
• Maharashtra led the country with 849 total adoptions, including 790 domestic and 59 inter-country cases, and girls accounted for 56% of all placements.
• Following court-directed reforms, CARA’s Identification Cell and CARINGS upgrades added 11,372 child registrations in 2024 and expanded specialised agencies, CWCs, DCPUs and foster-care pathways.