8.7 Lakh Missing in India in 2023: Half Still Untraced, Women and Teens Most at Risk

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TL;DR India faces a persistent missing persons crisis. In 2023, 8.68 lakh people were reported missing, yet only 4.6 lakh were traced, a recovery rate of just 53%. Women and children make up the majority of cases, with teenagers most at risk. States like Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh account for the highest numbers, highlighting urgent gaps in policing, social support, and inter-state coordination.

Context
The Supreme Court of India has intensified its focus on the crisis, particularly missing children. In September 2025, a bench led by Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan directed the Centre to establish a dedicated national portal under the Home Ministry to coordinate tracing efforts. The court highlighted fragmented responses and “lack of coordination” among state police forces. The portal will allow state officers to share data and improve tracking, especially in cases involving child trafficking and kidnapping.

Who Compiles This Data?
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, compiles missing persons statistics annually via state and UT police departments. Published in the Crime in India reports, the data are comprehensive but may underrepresent actual numbers due to reporting delays and tracing gaps.

Where can I download Clean & Structured Data about the Indian Student Deaths Abroad?
Clean, structured, and ready-to-use datasets related to Year, State, Gender, and Age-wise Missing and Traced Persons in India can be downloaded from Dataful.

Key Insights

A National Crisis in Numbers
Over the past five years, the number of missing persons in India has steadily climbed. Newly reported cases rose from around 3.8 lakh in 2019 to nearly 4.85 lakh in 2023, a 27% jump. When unresolved cases from previous years are included, the total missing population has swelled from 6.9 lakh to 8.7 lakh, showing that recoveries are struggling to keep pace with fresh cases.

Even with slight improvements in tracing rates from about 50% to 53%, the backlog of untraced cases continues to grow, underlining slow systemic closure and the urgent need for better follow-up and inter-state coordination.

Women at Higher Risk
Two-thirds of missing persons were female in 2023, 3.24 lakh women vs 1.59 lakh men. They make up 65% of the total missing population. While the female tracing rate (54.9%) is slightly higher than that of males (49.6%), the absolute number of untraced women is much higher due to their overwhelming representation in total missing cases.

The gender gap has widened since 2019, pointing to increasing vulnerabilities, underreporting, and gaps in tracing, especially in states and regions prone to trafficking.

Transgender persons also face risks: though small in numbers, 31 transgender individuals were reported missing as of 2023, with only 18 traced.

Children Vanish in Alarming Numbers
Nearly 1.4 lakh children were reported missing as of 2023, with most aged 12–18 years. Teenagers form the bulk of cases: 12–16-year-olds account for roughly 48,500, while 16–18-year-olds make up about 69,800. Younger children under 12 number around 20,000.

Despite tracing efforts, nearly 49,000 children remain untraced, meaning nearly one in three missing children has not been recovered. Girls dominate the older age groups, highlighting vulnerabilities among adolescent girls that need urgent attention.

Transgender children, while small in number (11 cases) also face similar risks: only six were traced, leaving five untraced, showing that even minimal numbers in this group need targeted protective measures.

State-Level Hotspots
Certain states account for a disproportionately high number of missing persons:

Even states with proactive policing leave a significant share untraced, highlighting the need for local interventions, awareness programs, and stronger coordination.

The Persistent Backlog
Nearly half of India’s missing persons remain untraced. From 2019 to 2023, unresolved cases from previous years grew from 3.12 lakh to 3.84 lakh. In 2023, around 4.08 lakh people remained untraced, almost one in two cases. Despite minor improvements in tracing rates, the backlog is rising, exposing long-term gaps in coordination, follow-up, and institutional capacity.

Why Does It Matter?
The missing persons crisis is not just a policing issue; it’s a social and humanitarian challenge. Key drivers include:

The Supreme Court’s push for a national portal and dedicated state officers represents a crucial step toward a systematic response.

Key Numbers (from 2019 to 2023)