The total number of international adoptions fell 15 percent in 2011, after falling 13 percent the previous year, according to figures provided by the US Department of State yesterday. This number puts international adoption at its lowest level since 1994; numbers peaked in 2004.
According to these numbers, there were 9,320 intercountry adoptions to the US. These numbers were down from 11,059 in 2010 and 12,753 in 2009.
China was the most popular country again with 2,589 adoptions, but this number was down from 3,401 in 2010. Ethiopia and Russia followed with 1,727 and 970 adoptions, respectively.
The top 10 countries for 2011 were:
- China – 2,589
- Ethiopia – 1,727
- Russia – 970
- South Korea – 736
- Ukraine – 632
- Philippines – 230
- India – 228
- Colombia – 216
- Uganda – 207
- Taiwan – 205
The top 10 countries for 2010 were:
- China – 3,401
- Ethiopia – 3,513
- Russia – 1,082
- South Korea – 863
- Ukraine – 445
- Taiwan – 285
- India – 243
- Colombia – 235
- Philippines – 214
- Nigeria – 189
You can read the rest of the report here or visit adoption.state.gov.
And for a more in-depth look at those numbers and the factors behind the decline, check out this story from NPR.
