FoJ consolidates data from CARINGS with inputs from families registered for adoption to present a view of children legally available for adoption from the Specialized Adoption Agencies regulated by CARA across age groups, health category, single or siblings and different States.
Advisory: Please note that this data is based on information sourced from CARINGS database. While the overall trend will persist, the actual number of children available as on a given date may vary. Parents registered with CARA are advised to login to CARINGS to see an exact updated figure on a day-to-day basis. This data is provided purely for guidance on broad availability of children. FoJ does not assume any responsibility for decisions that parents may take, based on this data. Please consult CARA, Social Worker or a certified Adoption Counsellor before making decisions regarding your preferences or options in CARINGS.
Highlights: Children Available for Adoption as of Sep 2026
As of Sep 2026, based on data in CARINGS, a Total of 2224 children are legally available for adoption. Of these, there are 30 healthy children below 2 years of age, 420 healthy children above 2 years of age, 100 children are sibling-sets and 1674 children are categorized as those with a special need.
- Special Need children comprise almost 75% of total children available for adoption, through CARA Pool
- Normal, healthy children below 2 years of age are about 1% of the total children available for adoption
- No State in India has even 10 healthy children below 2 years of age
- 218of 33 (55%) States have ZERO normal children (single or siblings) below 2 years of age – available for adoption.
- 21 of 33 (64%) States have less than 10 healthy children, across ALL GROUPS, available for adoption (excluding Siblings)
- Nearly half of the States have less than 1 child per Adoption Agency. The national average is 1.9 children legally free for adoption per agency.
- A subset of healthy children are available under Immediate Placement category, that is without any wait for referral required.
A detailed break up of these children across age groups, States and categories is as shown below. Please click on the pictures to open the magnified image in a New Tab.
