Daily Almanac for
Jul 9, 2008
Info search tips
Bio search tips
United States > U.S. Statistics > Births

Adoption Trends

Background

Although adoption is mentioned in the legal codes and writings of many ancient peoples, including the Romans and Hebrews, no such laws existed in England or her colonies prior to the middle of the 19th century. Instead, indigent children were generally sent to public institutions known as almshouses until the age of six or seven, when they could be “put out” as indentured servants or apprentices. Families also sometimes took in children informally, especially in rural areas to help on the farm.

In the United States, these practices worked well enough until the early 19th century, when changes in economic conditions and the size of the population produced numbers of children the system couldn't cope with. At the same time, largely through the efforts of certain social reformers, society's attitude toward adoption began to change. Private agencies were established to place children in homes where they would be treated as members of the family rather than servants. And families who took in children increasingly petitioned state legislatures for private adoption acts to ensure the legal status and inheritance rights of adopted children.

Finally, as a result of pressure from individual families and to provide better care for destitute children, the state legislatures were prompted to take action. Between 1851 and 1873, 17 states enacted adoption legislation, and by 1929 all states had such laws. (England did not enact general adoption laws until 1926.) Under these new statutes, adoptions had to be approved by a judge, after which the adopted child assumed the same rights accorded any natural, legitimate child of the petitioners.

Adoption in the 20th Century

Despite the legislation, foundling homes continued to exist, and legal adoption was still relatively infrequent. Many people feared that poor, abandoned, or illegitimate children were doomed to grow into troubled adults. Infants in particular were undesirable because of high mortality rates and the lack of readily available breast milk.

Following World War I, however, the demand for babies began to grow. This was partly a response to the sharp drop in population caused by the war and the influenza epidemic of 1918 and partly also due to the development of a successful feeding formula. The number of adoptions exploded, and “closed” adoptions became the norm. In closed adoptions, the identities of the birth parents and adoptive parents were kept a secret because, it was thought, this helped the child bond to his or her new family and avoid the stigma of illegitimacy.

By the mid-1950s the demand for healthy infants began to exceed the number available. Agencies started screening prospective parents more selectively, and by 1975 many had stopped accepting applications for nondisabled white children altogether. Other agencies were obliged to put prospective parents on waiting lists, usually for an average of three to five years. Factors contributing to the decline in available infants included the increased availability of effective contraception, a rise in the abortion rate following Roe v. Wade in 1973, and an increase in the number of unmarried women keeping their babies rather than giving them up for adoption.

It was also during the 1970s that “open” adoption, in which adoptive and birth parents were known to each other, became more accepted. A growing number of prospective parents adopted through private placement, contacting a birth mother directly through an advertisement or through the services of a lawyer or other professional specializing in adoption.

More Recent Trends

Since the end of the 20th century, infertile couples and single people have increasingly turned to transracial and international adoptions, as well as new medical techniques for treating infertility and providing alternative methods of reproduction. Meanwhile, the number of older special-needs children awaiting adoption has skyrocketed. These children often come from backgrounds of abuse and neglect, and finding appropriate placements for them is one of the most pressing concerns in child welfare today.

In December 2007, the United States joined the Hague Adoption Convention. As of April 2008, the Convention will monitor adoptions between the United States and other Convention member countries. Each member country has established a central authority to maintain ethical practices in the adoption process. The treaty is intended to protect children, birth parents, and adoptive parents from corrupt dealings, such as hidden fees and child abduction, that have become common.

In 2007, international adoptions dropped to 19,292 from their peak of 22,884 in 2004. The decline may be attributed to the tougher requirements in China, the most popular country from which Americans adopt, and suspensions in Russia. China sent 5,453 children to Americans in 2007, compared to 7,906 in 2005. Adoptions from Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Vietnam increased from 2006 to 2007, however.

Source: Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. Web: www.infoplease.com. Sokoloff, Burton Z., “Antecedents of American Adoption” in The Future of Children: Adoption, vol. 3, no. 1. (David and Lucile Packard Foundation: Los Altos, Calif.) Spring 1993. Web: www.futureofchildren.org .

Some Adoption Statistics:

  • In 1992, the last year for which total adoption statistics were available, 127,441 children of all races and nationalities were adopted in the United States.
  • Of the adoptions that occurred in 1992, 42% were by a stepparent or relative; 15.5% were adopted from foster care; 5% were adopted from other countries by U.S. families.
  • States with the highest number of adoptions are the states with larger populations. In 1992, there were 14,722 adoptions in California, 9,570 in New York, 8,235 in Texas, and 6,839 in Florida.
  • According to the most recent estimates, which include international adoptions, 8% of adoptions were transracial.
  • International adoptions have increased dramatically over the last decade. According to the U.S. State Department, in 1992, 6,472 children were adopted from abroad. In 1999, the number had increased to 16,396.
  • According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 1999, 33% of children adopted from foster care were adopted by a single parent, the overwhelming majority of which were single women (31%).
  • It is estimated that about 1 million children in the United States live with adoptive parents, and that between 2% and 4% of U.S. families include an adopted child.
Source: National Adoption Information Clearinghouse. Web: www.calib.com/naic/ . U.S. State Department. Web: www.travel.state.gov/family/adoption_booklet.html . U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau. Web: http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/ .

Top Countries of Origin for U.S. International Adoptions

  Fiscal Year 2006 Fiscal Year 2005 Fiscal Year 2004 FY 2002 FY 2002 FY 2001 FY 2001
Rank Country
of origin		 Number1 Country
of origin		 Number1 Country
of origin		 Number1 Country
of origin		 Number1 Country
of origin		 Number1
1. China 6,493 China 7,906 China 7,044 China 5,053 China 4,681
2. Guatemala 4,135 Russia 4,639 Russia 5,865 Russia 4,939 Russia 4,279
3. Russia 3,706 Guatemala 3,783 Guatemala 3,264 Guatemala 2,219 South Korea 1,870
4. South Korea 1,376 South Korea 1,630 South Korea 1,716 South Korea 1,779 Guatemala 1,609
5. Ethiopia 732 Ukraine 821 Kazakhstan 826 Ukraine 1,106 Ukraine 1,246
6. Kazakhstan 587 Kazakhstan 755 Ukraine 723 Kazakhstan 819 Romania 782
7. Ukraine 460 Ethiopia 441 India 406 Vietnam 766 Vietnam 737
8. Liberia 353 India 323 Haiti 356 India 466 Kazakhstan 672
9. Colombia 344 Colombia 291 Ethiopia 289 Colombia 334 India 543
10. India 320 Philippines 271 Columbia 287 Bulgaria 260 Colombia 407
11. Haiti 309 Haiti 231 Belarus 202 Cambodia 254 Bulgaria 297
12. Philippines 245 Liberia 182 Philippines 196 Philippines 221 Cambodia 266
13. Taiwan 187 Taiwan 141 Bulgaria 110 Haiti 187 Philippines 219
14. Vietnam 163 Mexico 98 Poland 102 Belarus 169 Haiti 192
15. Mexico 70 Poland 73 Mexico 89 Romania 168 Ethiopia 158
  Poland 67 Thailand 73 Liberia 86 Ethiopia 105 Belarus 129
17. Brazil 66 Brazil 66 Nepal 73 Poland 101 Poland 86
18. Nepal 66 Nigeria 65 Nigeria 71 Thailand 67 Thailand 74
19. Nigeria 62 Jamaica 63 Thailand
Brazil		 69
69		 Peru 65 Mexico 73
20. Thailand 56 Nepal 62 Romania 57 Mexico 61 Jamaica and
Liberia		 51
Total2 20,679 Total2 22,728 Total2 22,884 Total2 20,099 Total2 19,237
1. Figures based on number of immigrant visas issued to orphans.
2. Includes countries not listed here.
Source: U.S. State Department. Web: www.travel.state.gov/family/adoption/stats/stats_451.html .

Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Number, Rate, and Percent of Births to Unmarried Women, and Birth Rate for Married Women, 1980–2003 Births Children in Foster Care
    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

More on Adoption Trends from Infoplease:


Premium Partner Content
HighBeam Research

Related content from HighBeam Research on: Adoption Trends

Additional search results provided by HighBeam Research, LLC. © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.