As China’s economy continues to improve, adoptions of foreign children by US parents continue to plunge
- The number of foreign children adopted by US parents dropped about 14 per cent last year, led by a 22 per cent decline in adoptions of Chinese children
- Only 1,475 Chinese children were adopted in the US last year, down from 7,903 in 2005
The number of foreign children adopted by US parents plunged nearly 14 per cent last year, extending a decline that is now continued for 14 years, according to State Department figures released on Thursday.
A plunge in adoptions from China, in particular, more than offset notable increases from India and Colombia.
The department’s report for the 2018 financial year shows 4,059 adoptions from abroad, down from 4,714 in 2017 and 82 per cent below the high of 22,884 in 2004. The number has fallen every year since then.
China, as has been the case for several years, accounted for the most children adopted in the US. But its total of 1,475 was down by 22 per cent from 2017 – a drop of more than 400 children – and far below a peak of 7,903 in 2005. This represents a drop of 81 per cent in the past 13 years.
Suzanne Lawrence, the State Department’s special adviser on children’s issues, said the steady decrease in adoptions from China was linked to an improved Chinese economy and the expansion of domestic adoption there.
She also said US adoption agencies were hampered by China’s laws restricting activities by foreign non-governmental organisations.