Who Adopts the Most? (2024)

FAQs

Who Adopts the Most? ›

At nearly 6,500 annually, the US adopts more children than the rest of the world combined — but the truth is more nuanced than the numbers let on. In a racial twist on intercountry adoptions, most adopted children are non-white, while 73% of adoptive parents are Caucasian.

At nearly 6,500 annually, the US adopts more children than the rest of the world combined — but the truth is more nuanced than the numbers let on. In a racial twist on intercountry adoptions, most adopted children are non-white, while 73% of adoptive parents are Caucasian.

That has long been the case. The Bible commands Christians to care for the orphan (James 1:27), and Christian and other faith groups started some of this country's first orphanages. Even today, according to one survey, practicing U.S. Christians are more than twice as likely to adopt than the general population.

Couple all of these with the fact that it's usually the wife who is more engaged and enthusiastic about the adoption process, and there's no question as to why the majority of adoptions are girls.

Profile of Children Adopted from Foster Care

51% were White, 20% were Hispanic, 16% were Black, 9% were two or more races, 2% were American Indian or Alaska Native, 1% were unknown, 0% were Asian, and 0% were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

The older a child is, the more difficult it is for them to be adopted. The average age of a child in foster care is 7.7 years. While babies are often adopted very quickly, the adoption rates of children over 8 decrease significantly. When a child reaches their teens, the rate drops even more.

Previous studies have also linked race/ethnicity to adoption. Overall, Black children are less likely to be returned home or adopted than White children, resulting in lengthy foster care stays.

What's the toughest age to adopt? Many adoption professionals say that toddlers (children aged one to three years) have the hardest transition to adoption. They are old enough to feel the loss of familiar people and surroundings, but too young to understand what's happening to them.

Among mothers near the end of their childbearing years, Hispanics and blacks have the largest families. On average, a Hispanic mother ages 40 to 44 has had about 2.6 children. By comparison, black mothers have had about 2.5. White and Asian mothers have families that are a bit smaller, on average.

Are most adopted kids happy? ›

While every person is different, and it's impossible to predict exactly how your child will feel about his or her adoption, most children today grow up happily adopted, like Cole.

Caucasians. Most adoptive parents (73 percent) are non-Hispanic white adults, according to a study by the Barna Group. However, they are less likely to adopt a Caucasian child. Only 37 percent of children adopted are Caucasian.

Practicing Christians (5%) are more than twice as likely to adopt than the general population (2%). Catholics are three times as likely. And evangelicals are five times as likely to adopt as the average adult.

Although it is difficult to quantify, roughly 20,000 children “age out” of foster care each year. This means they are now legally adults without ever finding a family through adoption. This is one of the reasons there is such a large need for foster parents across the country.

77.7% of families stated that their lives have been happier as a result of the adoption and 91.9% consider its repercussions to be positive.

Adopting in the United States

Yes, the United States continues to be the number one country that U.S. families adopt from, with 75% of adoptions occurring locally. In fact, the number of international adoptions continues to fall, while domestic adoptions rise.

Of the 282,921 foreign-born children adopted into US families between 1999 and 2022, 82,658 (or 29.2%) came from China. That's more than the next two countries combined — Russia with 46,113 and Guatemala with 29,807.

Approximately 5 million Americans alive today are adoptees, 2-4 percent of all families have adopted, and 2.5 percent of all children under 18 are adopted. Adoptive families are more racially diverse, better educated, and more affluent than families in general.