Trends in International Adoption - 2004 to 2009

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International Adoption is just one of many ways in which parents can adopt a child. Children from all over the globe are waiting for their forever families and the statistics below show that Americans are responding to their plight. Unlike the United States, many countries don't have a domestic social system which allows children without a family to live in a home environment. Children in these countries are often placed in group homes or orphanages where they stay until their family finds them or until they've become old enough to live and support themselves on their own. "Institutionalization damages children in ways that last a lifetime," said Tom DiFilipo, President & CEO of Joint Council on International Children's Services. "Virtually all major child welfare professional agree that institutionalization is the least favorable settings for children."

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The number of children adopted internationally in the U.S. is estimated by the number of orphan (IR-3/IR-4 or IH-3/IH-4) visas that have been issued, as reported by The State Department. Yearly, The DoS publishes these totals on their web site for the public to view.

As laws change in the United States as well as in the country in which the children adopted internationally originate, the number of children who come to the U.S. for international adoption will fluctuate. An example of how law change impacts the number of children who come to the U.S. for adoption is the statistics for Guatemala FY 2008 to FY 2009. The adoption of The Hague Treaty heavily impacted adoption from Guatemala as adoptions came to a halt in December 2008 while Guatemala worked on putting in place the protections for children, as required by The Hague Treaty on Intercountry Adoptions.

*NOTE: All statistics given correspond with the U.S. Government fiscal year, which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. For example: Adoption statistics for 2009 = Number of adoptions from October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009.

Below is a total number of international adoption visas issued by The State Department in their respective year. For a break down of the originating countries, scroll down below.

ANNUAL TOTAL OF ADOPTIONS FROM 2003-2009

The statistics for Fiscal Years 2004 - 2009 can be viewed below:

Credits: The U.S. Department of State