1,87,702 cases of crimes against children recorded in 2024: NCRB data

Mumbai: A staggering 1,87,702 cases of crimes against children were recorded in India in 2024, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), even as overall crime in the country declined.

The figure of 1,87,702 translates into an average of over 514 crimes against children every day, more than 21 crimes every hour, and nearly one crime every three minutes across the country.

This marks an increase of 5.8 per cent from 1,77,335 cases reported in 2023.

The decadal trend points to a sustained rise in crimes against children in India.

The number of recorded cases rose from 89,423 in 2014 to 1,87,702 in 2024, reflecting an increase of nearly 110 per cent over the last decade. While a temporary decline was observed in 2020, the numbers have steadily increased thereafter, touching the highest level recorded during the decade in 2024.

During the one-year period between 2023 and 2024, crimes against children increased by 5.8 per cent.

From 2020 to 2024, the total number of overall crimes in India declined from 66.01 lakh to 58.86 lakh cases, reflecting an overall decrease of about 10.8 per cent.

In contrast, crimes against children increased steadily during the same period from 1,28,531 cases in 2020 to 1,87,702 cases in 2024, registering a sharp rise of about 46.04 per cent.

According to NCRB data, crimes against children accounted for 3.2 per cent of all recorded cognisable crimes in India in 2024. Although this proportion declined from 4.7 per cent in 2023, it remained higher than levels recorded during 2020–2022, reflecting the continuing scale of offences affecting children.

According to Child Rights and You (CRY) analysis of state-wise NCRB data, Chhattisgarh recorded the highest number of cybercrimes against children with 268 cases, followed by Rajasthan (174), Delhi (151), Uttar Pradesh (137) and Kerala (92). Together, these five states accounted for 822 cases — nearly two-thirds (66.4 per cent) of all cybercrimes against children recorded in the country in 2024.

The data further revealed that cybercrimes against children accounted for nearly 0.7 per cent of all crimes against children recorded in 2024. Of the total 1,87,702 crimes against children registered during the year, 1,238 cases were booked under the Information Technology (IT) Act as cybercrimes against children.

Significantly, an overwhelming majority of these offences involved publishing or transmitting material depicting children in sexually explicit acts. Such cases accounted for 1,099 of the 1,238 cybercrime cases registered against children in 2024 — nearly nine out of every 10 cases.

In comparison, all other categories of cybercrimes against children together accounted for only 139 cases, underlining how transmission of sexually explicit digital content involving children remains the dominant form of cybercrime targeting children in India.

“The recent cybercrime trends revealed by NCRB once again underscore why children’s safety in the online space must remain a national priority. In today’s hyperconnected world shaped increasingly by algorithms and AI, protecting children online is no longer just about controlling screens. It is about building awareness, empathy and agency among children and caregivers alike to safeguard children’s identity and ensure their dignity and emotional well-being in digital spaces,” said Soha Moitra, Director of Programmes at CRY.

The NCRB data also highlighted the continuing scale of sexual offences against children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. A total of 69,191 POCSO cases were registered across India in 2024, with a crime rate of 15.6 per one lakh child population.

Girls constituted an overwhelming majority of victims/survivors in cases registered under Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act, which deal with penetrative sexual assault and aggravated penetrative sexual assault respectively. Of the 44,567 child victims/survivors recorded under these sections in 2024, as many as 43,675 were girls, accounting for 98 per cent of all victims. Boys accounted for 892 victims. The NCRB data further showed that in the overwhelming majority of POCSO cases, the offender was known to the child.