India recorded its highest number of adoptions in more than a decade in FY26, with 5,022 children finding families between April 2025 and March 2026, according to data from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). The increase comes despite persistent challenges, including a long waiting list of nearly 26,000 prospective adoptive parents and a limited number of children in the highly sought-after 0-2 years age group.
Of the total adoptions in FY26, 4,603 were domestic, while 419 were inter-country adoptions. In comparison, 4,515 children were adopted in FY25.
