The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has been releasing a significant and comprehensive ad-hoc publication titled " Children in India" since 2008. The publication provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the well-being of children in the country. By examining various dimensions such as education, health, nutrition, child protection, gender equality, the publication offers valuable insights and data to inform evidence-based policies and interventions aimed at improving the lives of children and ensuring their rights and well-being are upheld. Children in India 2025 The “Children in India 2025” is the fourth such publication on the status of children in India. It comprises of seven chapters namely Overview, Population and Vital Statistics, Health & Nutrition, Education & Development, Crimes Involving Children and Child Protection, Policy & Legal Framework and Children & Sustainable Development Goals. Related data under each chapter have been grouped together to facilitate easier understanding and use. Key points of the report As per Census 2011, India. with a population of 121.1 crore, has 13.59% of its population in the age group 0-6 years and 30.76% in the age group 0-14 years . The total male population (0-18 years) stands at 24.7 crore, while the female population is about 22.4 crore within the same age-group. Within the child population, males consistently outnumber females across all age categories. There is a significant decline in the proportion of the child population (0-19 years) from 2011 to 2026 as per the projected population figures. In 2011, children constituted approximately 40.9% of the total population, which is projected to fall to 32% by 2026. This trend is indicative of a demographic transition possibly due to declining fertility rates and improved family planning. As per SRS 2023 results reproduced 2.7, the neo-natal mortality rate in the country is 19 and ranges from 13 in urban areas to 21 in rural areas. At the National level, the early neo-natal mortality rate for the year 2023 has been estimated as 13 and ranges from 15 in rural areas to 9 in urban areas. Among the bigger States/UTs, the early neo-natal mortality rate is the lowest in Kerala (3) and highest in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh each (20). At the National level, IMR stands at 25 deaths per 1,000 live births, with a slightly higher rate for males (26) compared to females (25). The rural IMR (28) is notably higher than the urban IMR (18), possibly reflecting disparities in healthcare access and quality. Among states, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh records the highest IMR at 37 and Kerala maintains the lowest IMR at 5. The SRS 2023 revealed that at the National level, U5MR is estimated at 29 and it varies from 33 in rural areas to 20 in urban areas. Highest U5MR is observed in Madhya Pradesh at 44 followed by Uttar Pradesh (42), Chhattisgarh (41) while Kerala has the lowest rate of 8 deaths per 1000. At the National level, the overall birth rate is 18.4 per 1,000 population, with the rural birth rate higher at 20.3, compared to 14.9 in urban areas in 2023. In 2023, the highest Birth Rate has been observed at 25.8 in Bihar, whereas Andaman & Nicobar Islands has the lowest Birth Rate of 10.1. The prevalence of stunting is higher in rural areas (37.3%) as compared to urban areas (30.1%), and is slightly more common among male children (36.2 %) than female children (34.6%). Among the States, Meghalaya records the highest prevalence of stunting (46.5%), followed by Bihar (42.9%), Uttar Pradesh (39.7%), Jharkhand (39.6%), Gujarat (39.0%), and Madhya Pradesh (35.7%). As per NFHS-5 (2019-21) data, 19.3% of children are found to be afflicted by wasting in the country. And similar to the case of stunting, wasting is also seen to be more prevalent in Rural areas (19.5%) than Urban (18.5%) and in male children (20%) than female (18.5%). At the state level, the highest prevalence of wasting is reported in Maharashtra (25.6%), followed by Gujarat (25.1%), Bihar (22.9%), and Jharkhand (22.4%). NFHS-5 estimates that 32.1 % of children in India are underweight in 2019-21, with 33.8% underweight children in Rural area as compared to Urban area which is having 27.3% underweight children. In the country, 32.9% of male and 31.2% of female children are underweight. Bihar is seen to be having the highest percentage of underweight children (41%) and Nizoram is having the least proportion of underweight children with 12.7%. As per Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2016-18 reveals a dual burden of health challenges among children and adolescents. Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly Vitamin D (23.9%) and Zinc (31.7%) among ages 10-14, show a rising trend with age and are most pronounced during adolescence. At the same time, lifestyle-related conditions such as pre-diabetes (10.4%), diabetes (0.6%), high total cholesterol (3.7%), High LDL (3.8%), Low LDL (28.2%) and hypertension (4.9%) begin to emerge in the 10-19 age group. As per NFHS-5 (2019-21), among last born children in the past two years (before the survey), 95.9% were ever breastfed. However, only 41.4% were breastfed within the first hour of birth, though 86.8% began breastfeeding within the first day. The percentage of children who received a prelacteal is 15.5%. As per data on adoption, the number of in-country adoption has consistently ranged between 2,991-4,155 children per year, while inter-country adoptions have ranged between 360 and 653 children annually. During 2024-25, there were 4,155 in-country adoptions of which 2,336 were female and 1,819 were male. This possibly indicates gender preference, with female children adopted more often than male children in in-country and inter-country adoptions. The State with maximum number of adoptions is Maharashtra wherein 849 childrenwere adopted. The primary ways in which children access smartphones and the internet. The majority 62.6 percent of children use their parents' phones, while a notable 30.2 percent of children aged 8 to 18 already own smartphones and use them or various purposes. The most common activity reported was online learning and classes, cited by 94.8 percent of respondents. Other frequent uses nclude messaging apps, accessing study materials, listening to music, and playing games. Gender Parity Index (GPI) in education. The GPI data for 2024-25 across Indian states and union territories shows that, at the national level, parity is achieved across all education stages with secondary level having the highest index at 1.1. According to NFHS-5 (2019-21), 76.5% of children aged 12-23 months had received all basic vaccinations at any time before the survey. The percentage was a little higher in rural areas with 76.8% of children with all basic vaccines than in urban areas (75.5%) . Coverage was highest for the BCG vaccine (95.2%) and lowest for the third dose of polio vaccine (80.5%). To read the complete report, click here.