Children in India 2025 Report Released Here You Need To Know

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the fourth edition of its flagship publication, “Children in India 2025”, on 25 September 2025 during the 29th CoCSSO in Chandigarh. This biennial statistical report provides a comprehensive assessment of the condition of children across India. It draws on secondary data from multiple ministries and government bodies and presents critical insights into the areas of health, education, child protection, nutrition, and legal frameworks associated with child development.

Objectives of the Publication

• To present updated statistics on various indicators of child well-being.
• To inform evidence-based policies and intervention programs.
• To monitor progress in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to children.
• To enhance transparency and public access to official child-related data.

Structural Enhancements in the 2025 Edition

Divided into seven chapters

1. Overview
2. Population & Vital Statistics
3. Health & Nutrition
4. Education & Development
5. Crimes and Child Protection
6. Policy & Legal Framework
7. SDGs Related to Children

Includes QR codes for direct access to Excel-based data tables.

Introduced new indicators such as,

1. Causes of Death in Children
2. Digital Device Usage by Children
3. Adoption Statistics
4. Comparative Performance of States

Formed an expert advisory committee for data refinement and structure redesign.

Key Statistical Findings

Health and Mortality

• The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has seen a steady decline from 44 in 2011 to 25 per 1,000 live births in 2023. The male IMR stood at 26, while female IMR was 25, indicating a narrowing gender gap.
• The Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) in 2023 was 29 nationally, with a rural U5MR of 33 and urban U5MR of 20, reflecting ongoing rural–urban disparities in child healthcare.
• The birth rate in 2023 was reported at 18.4 per 1,000 population at the national level. Rural areas recorded a higher birth rate at 20.3, while urban areas showed a lower rate of 14.9.

Education and Gender Parity

• The dropout rates in 2024–25 showed major improvement. At the preparatory level, the rate fell from 8.7% to 2.3%. At the middle level, it dropped from 8.1% to 3.5%, and at the secondary level, it declined from 13.8% to 8.2%.
• The Gender Parity Index (GPI) in 2024–25 indicates that parity has been achieved across all education stages. Notably, the secondary level GPI reached 1.1, meaning more girls are enrolled than boys at this level.

Child Marriage

• The percentage of women aged 20–24 who were married before age 18 dropped from 26.8% in 2015–16 to 23.3% in 2019–21. This shows progress, but early marriage still remains a concern in many areas.

Adoption Statistics

• In 2024–25, the total number of adoptions was 4,515. Of these, 4,155 were in-country adoptions, with 2,336 female children and 1,819 male children adopted.
• Inter-country adoptions ranged between 360 to 653 per year. The data suggests a trend of higher female adoptions, indicating a possible gender preference in adoption patterns.