Prof. Linda J Seligmann
Department of Sociology and Anthropolgy
Transnational Adoption and Changing Faces of American Families
Relevant Facts
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The estimated total number of adoptions in the United States in 2000-2001 was 127,000. Of that total, the proportion of domestic adoptions has declined while transnational adoptions have been on the rise.
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Over the last decade alone, adoptions across national boundaries have grown over 300%, from 5 to 15% of all adoptions.
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Since 1989, U.S. parents have adopted close to a quarter of a million children from other countries. This translates to more than 22,000 children from 100 different countries just in 2004. Of these adoptions, 64% were girls; 36% boys.
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China and Russia are the top two countries from which Americans are adopting children. 47,000 children have come from China and almost as many from Russia.
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Approximately 18,957 African American children were formally adopted in the United States through public agencies in 2002. An estimated 1,000-2,000 African American children are adopted transracially each year. There are no accurate statistics with respect to private adoptions
