If you have ever thought about adoption, you are not alone. Every year, hundreds of thousands of children are adopted around the world. With these adoption statistics and facts, you will find out more about adoption, the adoption process, and the adoption system.
In this article, we look at adoption in the United States, international adoption, as well as adoption in the LGBT community. You will gain insight into what adoption looks like in numbers in many different circumstances.
If you’re interested in adoption, the adoption process, or simply want to know more, you have come to the right place. Here’s what you should know.
Top Ten Adoption Facts and Statistics
- Around 135,000 children are adopted every year in the United States.
- In the United States, there are around 1.5 million children who have been adopted.
- In 2018, there were 4,058 adoptions in the United States.
- There are around 437,000 children in the United States who are in foster care on any given day.
- There are around 69,000 children and teenagers in foster care in the United States who don’t live in a family environment, say foster care adoption statistics.
- Of the children who exited foster care in 2018, 25% were taken in by a family that went through the adoption process.
- Since 2005, the number of children being adopted from other countries has decreased by 72%.
- In 2015, there were 12,000 international adoptions, with 5,500 children being adopted in the United States.
- There are around 2 million LGBT people in the United States who want to adopt.
- Same-sex married couples can adopt children in every state in America.
US Adoption Statistics and Facts
How many children are adopted in the US? The process itself can sometimes take years. However, the US adoption rate is still high, and here are some stats to encourage you on your way.
1. Around 135,000 children are adopted every year in the United States.
(Adoption Network)
More than half of these children are over the age of six, and there are more boys in the system waiting to be adopted or fostered than girls.
2. In the United States, there are around 1.5 million children who have been adopted.
(Adoption Network)
Almost 100 million people in the country have an immediate family member who either had adopted, had been placed for adoption or was adopted.
3. Only around 2% of people in the United States have actually adopted a child, adoption statistics show.
(Adoption Network)
However, one-third of Americans have thought about the possibility of adopting and considered it an option.
4. In 2011, of all the children who were adopted at kindergarten age, 39% were Caucasian.
(Institute for Family Studies)
Additionally, 23% of these children were Hispanic, 17% were Asian, 11% were multiracial, and 9% were African American.
5. The majority of mothers adopting in 2011 were Caucasian (77%), according to transracial adoption statistics.
(Institute for Family Studies)
Furthermore, 9% of adopting mothers were Hispanic, 6% were African American, 4% were multiracial, and 2% were Asian.
6. In 2018, there were 4,058 adoptions in the United States.
(U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs)
The majority of those adoptions were of children between the ages of five and 12. Also, 47.9% of those adopted were boys, and 52.1% were girls.
7. There are around 437,000 children in the United States who are in foster care on any given day, according to stats on adoption.
(Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute)
More than 125,000 children in these circumstances are looking to be adopted. The average child in foster care will wait around four years until they are taken into a family that wishes to adopt them.
8. There are around 69,000 children and teenagers in foster care in the United States who don’t live in a family environment.
(Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute)
These children and teenagers stay in group homes, institutions, and other environments that don’t include a family. It’s one of many unfortunate adoption facts that show the reality of children living in foster care.
9. Of the children who exited foster care in 2018, 25% were taken in by a family that went through the adoption process.
(Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute)
On the other hand, 56% of these children and teenagers returned to live with their biological families.
10. All birth mothers who choose to give their child up for adoption in the United States have the right to choose how open the adoption is.
(American Adoptions)
Adoption facts state that these mothers are connected with potential adoptive families who want the same level of openness with the mothers in terms of the adoption. For example, some mothers want to be sent pictures and kept updated on the child’s life, while some want a closed adoption where they have no connection with the child.
11. There were 2.97 million children in the United States without parents in 2017.
(Statista)
And in 2018, there were around 19 million children with only a single parent living in the country.
12. According to adoption statistics, there were 193,117 Caucasian children in the foster care system in the United States in 2018.
(Statista)
In the same year, there were 99,025 African American children in the foster care system, 90,688 Hispanic children, 32,882 multiracial children, 10,449 native American and native Alaskan children, 2,112 Asian children, 1,053 Pacific Island- or Hawaii-native children, and 5,899 children of undetermined ethnicity or race.
International Adoption Statistics and Facts
How many people choose adoption worldwide? Is it hard to adopt a child from another part of the world? Here are some answers to get you started on your research.
13. International adoption is when you adopt a child whose birth parents are permanent residents of another country.
(Adoption.org)
That child is then brought to the adoptive parents’ country, where they become a citizen of that country.
14. Since 2005, the number of children being adopted from other countries has decreased by 72%.
(The Conversation)
According to international adoption stats, this is largely due to certain countries banning international adoption or increasing the difficulty of adopting children from their country. The countries that have banned or cut down on international adoption include China, Ethiopia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, and Guatemala.
15. In 2015, there were 12,000 international adoptions, with 5,500 children being adopted in the United States.
(The Conversation)
This number is drastically lower than in 2005 when 46,000 children were adopted internationally. Around half of those international adoptions resulted in the child being brought to the United States.
16. In 2018, Texas adopted the highest number of children from other countries.
(Statista)
Facts about adoption show that people in the state of Texas adopted around 310 children. That year, California had the second-highest number of international adoptions by state, with 269. And Florida had the third-highest number of international adoptions — 182.
17. The most popular country to adopt from is China.
(Adoption.com)
In 2016, there were 2,231 children adopted from China by people living in the United States. However, China does have specific rules about who can adopt. For example, LGBTQ couples or couples who have been divorced twice or more may not adopt from China.
18. The second most popular country to adopt from is the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to international adoption stats.
(Adoption.com)
In 2016, 360 children were adopted from the African country. This country is not a Hague Convention country, but the rules are a little more relaxed than China’s. Still, no LGBTQ couples may adopt, and there can be no more than two children in the home already before the adoption.
19. The third most popular country to adopt from is Ukraine.
(Adoption.com)
In 2016, 301 children were adopted from Ukraine. Ukraine is also not a Hague Convention country. Only married couples may adopt, and the child must be over the age of five unless they are disabled or have a sibling that is being adopted as well.
LGBT Adoption Statistics
20. There are 94,627 same-sex households with children in the United States.
(Lifelong Adoptions)
Of those households, 21.2% are step-children or adopted children, and 6% are a combination of biological children and either step-children or adopted children.
21. There are around 2 million LGBT people in the United States who want to adopt.
(Lifelong Adoptions)
That’s a lot of homes and many loving parents for children who desperately need them.
22. Current adoption statistics show that around 4% of all adopted children in the United States are living with LGBT parents.
(Lifelong Adoptions)
Around 22,000 children have been adopted by over 16,000 LGBT couples in the United States.
23. Same-sex married couples can adopt children in every state in America.
(Considering Adoption)
In 2016, the law in Mississippi that banned LGBT adoption in the state was overturned. Now, any governmental or non-religious agency dealing with adoption cannot rule off LGBT parents.
FAQ
How many babies go unadopted in the US?
(Adoption Network)
In the United States, there are around 107,918 children available for adoption and looking to be adopted. The number of children adopted in a year from foster care is around 50,644 — or, at least, that was the number in 2014, and the five following years had similar numbers.
The average child waiting to be adopted around 7.7 years old. 29% of children will spend a minimum of three years in foster care before being adopted.
What is the success rate of adoption?
(LiveScience)
It is believed that most adoptions, once the paperwork has been filed and all processes have been finished according to the law, make it to completion. Around 80% of adoptions in the United States work out. For those adoptions that are at the stage where all the paperwork has been completed, and the processes are finished, the success rate is 98%.
The hardest parts of the adoption process are making sure that the law has been complied with, matching a child with prospective parents, and ensuring that the child and parents bond successfully.
What percent of babies put up for adoption are adopted?
(American Adoption)
Research shows that 100% of babies who are put up for adoption through private agencies find a home with adoptive parents. Many couples are looking to adopt babies from their birth parents, and that’s why they approach private adoption agencies.
People believe that many children don’t get adopted because of those put into foster care. These are children who are often taken from the parents because of an unhealthy home environment or because they cannot care for them. These babies and children may have a more difficult time being adopted due to their age or because the birth parents are trying to get custody back.
How many adopted children were there in 2019?
(Adoption Network)
Each year, around 135,000 children are adopted by parents in the United States. And that number was about the same in 2019. As a matter of fact, the number of children adopted every year has been almost the same for the past few years.
Final Thoughts
Hundreds of thousands of children are adopted around the world each year. And with that, new loving and happy families are created. The above adoption statistics show, with some insight, how adoption in the United States and international adoption work, as well as how prominent adoption is within the LGBT community.
List of Sources
- Adoption.com
- Adoption.org
- Adoption Network
- American Adoption
- American Adoptions
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute
- Considering Adoption
- Institute for Family Studies
- Lifelong Adoptions
- LiveScience
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- The Conversation
- U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs