Steep decline in international adoptions to the U.S. Number of international adoptees to the U.S. Ethiopia
The decline in international adoptions has been driven by a significant drop in adoptions from the five countries where most international adoptees were born: China (which accounts for 78,257 of a total 267,098 adoptees from 1999 to 2016), Russia (46,113), Guatemala (29,805), South Korea (20,318) and Ethiopia (15,317). Together, these five countries have accounted for 71% of all adoptions to the U.S. since 1999, and they have driven 88% of the total decline since 2004.
All five countries have revised their adoption protocols in recent years, making it more difficult for Americans to adopt from these countries. In Russia, a diplomatic rift with the U.S. led to a ban of new American adoptions of Russian children as of 2013. In Guatemala, reports of fraud and corruption within the Guatemalan adoption system prompted the government to suspend new adoptions from the country in late 2007. (The few U.S. adoptions from Russia and Guatemala that occurred after the bans were “transitional” cases – adoptions initiated before the restrictions were in place.) In China, South Korea and Ethiopia, the decrease in international adoption numbers reflects the tightening of domestic laws regarding adoptions in general. The Ethiopian government suspended all international adoptions in April.
Steep decline in international adoptions to the U.S.  | Number of international adoptees to the U.S.  | 25 000  | Ethiopia  | South Korea  | 20,000  | Guatemala  | 15 000  | Russia  | 10 000  | China  | 5.000  | Others  | '16  | 2014  | 1999  | 2002  | 2005  | 2008  | 2011  | Note: Figures include cases finalized abroad or in the U.S.  | Source: U.S. State Depa rtment Bureau of Consular Affairs  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 