New Delhi, More girls than boys in Delhi have found new families, with over 1,000 girls and around 760 boys having been adopted in the city since 2015-16, while six children with special needs found families in 2025-26.
Of these six children, two were adopted by families in India and four by families abroad. By working on their skills and making prospective parents aware of their needs, the department has helped six such children find homes in 2025-26. Between January and September 2026, Delhi recorded 71 adoptions, with April seeing the highest at 14, followed by January with 12 and June with 11. Looking at the annual trend, Delhi recorded 178 adoptions in 2015-16, the highest number during the period. The total fell to 168 in 2016-17 and 121 in 2017-18, before rising to 153 in 2018-19 and declining to 124 in 2019-20, he said. The number fell further to 102 in 2020-21 and reached its lowest point at 87 in 2021-22. It then rose to 94 in 2022-23 and 97 in 2023-24, before increasing to 110 in 2024-25, the official said. Of the 178 children adopted in 2015-16, 92 were adopted within India, including 55 girls and 37 boys. The remaining 86 children, comprising 57 girls and 29 boys, were adopted by families abroad, he said. In 2016-17, the total stood at 168, including 77 girls and 66 boys in the gender-wise figures shared. In 2017-18, 121 children were adopted, including 88 within India and 33 by families abroad. The total fell to 124 in 2019-20, comprising 62 girls and 39 boys adopted in India and 14 girls and nine boys overseas, he said.
He said the department had also worked to help children with special needs find families, as their adoptions had earlier remained at zero. The official said most children considered for adoption were between zero and six years of age. Most adoptions during these nine months took place in the Central district, the official said. Gender-wise figures for that year were not available, according to the official.
