Teenage girls at highest risk as women make up 61% of Delhi's missing cases

The data collected from the beginning of this year through mid-October highlighted that women and girls together form the most affected category among those who go missing in the city

Women continue to make up the largest cohort of missing persons reported in Delhi this year, according to data released by the Delhi Police on Friday. Between January 1 and October 15, a total of 19,682 people were reported missing in the national capital, with 61 per cent (11,917) of them women, PTI reported.

 

The figures showed that males accounted for 39 per cent (7,765) of those reported missing. Of the total missing persons, 55 per cent (10,780) have been traced — including 61 per cent (6,541) women and 39 per cent (4,239) men, the data revealed.

 

Teenage girls most at risk

 

  The data highlighted that women and girls together form the most affected category among those who go missing in the city.

 

Among the 4,854 missing children, 72 per cent (3,509) were girls and 28 per cent (1,345) were boys. In the adult category, 57 per cent (8,408) were women and 43 per cent (6,420) were men.

 

“The data shows that teenage girls are particularly at risk, both in terms of numbers and proportion,” it said.

 

Children form one-fourth of missing cases 

Children accounted for one-fourth of all missing persons. Among those traced, 31 per cent (3,337) were children and 69 per cent (7,443) were adults.

 

Long-term gender imbalance persists 

Last year, 24,893 people were reported missing in Delhi, of whom 59 per cent (14,752) were women and girls. Of the total, 61 per cent (15,260) were traced.

 

A decadal analysis (2015–2025) found that about 2.51 lakh people went missing in Delhi over the past 10 years, including 56 per cent (1,42,037) women and 44 per cent (1,09,737) men.

 

According to the Delhi Police, the data indicates that the proportion of missing females has remained consistently high, continuing a long-term trend of gender imbalance among missing persons.