Figures released in response to a parliamentary question show that in 2017 alone there were 23,570 "missing incidents" from children's homes.
There are currently around 5,000 children living in children's homes - meaning that, on average, each child goes missing 4.7 times a year.
The statistics show that in the past three years, the total number of missing incidents comes to 54,700.
But the Department for Education has conceded that the true figure could actually be far higher, as the collection of the statistics only began in 2015, and local authority recording has been improving since then.
The figures, published in response to a question tabled by Labour MP Ann Coffey, show that in 2015 a total of 13,040 missing incidents were recorded, rising to 17,910 in 2016.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Runaway and Missing Children and Adults, which Coffey chairs, has previously warned of strong proven links between going missing and child sexual exploitation.
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