Overview

• India recorded 4,515 adoptions in FY 2024–25, including 4,155 domestic placements and 360 inter-country cases, the highest total in over a decade.
• About 36,000 prospective adoptive parents remain on waitlists against 2,749 legally available children, with average waits of roughly three-and-a-half years.
• Government data show 2,177 children available for placement in 2024, of whom 65% were classified as special needs, and 328 special-needs adoptions were completed in 2024–25.
• Maharashtra accounted for 849 adoptions, or nearly one-fifth of the national total, outpacing Tamil Nadu (438) and West Bengal (297) and leading inter-country placements with 59.
• Following court directives, CARA expanded identification and registration through the CARINGS portal, added 11,372 new registrations, scaled adoption agencies and CWCs, and launched a foster-care matching platform.