General diaries (GDs) have been filed at police stations across the country over 15,717 missing children, according to police figures covering the seven months from January to July this year. Of them, 13,679 have been recovered or returned to their families. But 2,038 children remain unaccounted for — meaning about 13% of missing children have still not returned to their families. The figures were released in a statement from police headquarters Thursday.
According to police data, 474 GDs were filed for missing children aged 0 to 9 between January and July. Of them, 406 have been recovered, while 68 remain missing. Over the same period, 15,243 children aged 10 to 17 went missing. Of them, 13,273 have been recovered, while 1,970 remain missing. Police headquarters said younger children typically go missing after getting lost in unfamiliar places while with family, being unable to give their address, or wandering off elsewhere while trying to walk home alone. The reasons differ somewhat for teenagers: resentment, academic pressure, family conflict, a desire for independent living, peer influence, and attempts to obtain money or other benefits from family are major reasons behind their leaving home.
According to police statistics, 17,808 missing-persons GDs were filed nationwide in 2023. That number fell to 16,414 in 2024, but rose again to 22,550 in 2025.