Adoption Statistics
This post was updated on October 1, 2025, to give you the most current information.
An at-a-glance overview of United States adoption trends by type since 2000
27%
Decline in adoptions from foster care since peaking in 2019
15,379
Youth aged out of foster care without a permanent family in 2024
95%
Decline in intercountry adoptions since peaking in 2004
70,418
U.S. foster children were waiting to be adopted at the end of 2024
3%
Increase in private domestic adoptions since 2019
64,124
Children were in foster care for 2+ years before exiting in 2024
Annual Adoptions by Type
Sources:
Adoption from foster care: Children's Bureau AFCARS Reports & Dashboard
Intercountry adoption: US Department of State Statistics
Private domestic adoption: National Council For Adoption's Adoption by the Numbers reports
Reporting periods: For intercountry adoptions and adoptions from foster care, the reporting period is the federal fiscal year. Different reporting periods were used in estimates for private domestic adoptions.
A note about private domestic adoption data: Data from 2014 solely included unrelated, domestic, infant adoptions (including those from the public system). Data from 2019 to 2022 solely included private, domestic, non-stepparent adoptions. Adoptions in U.S. territories and by Americans residing overseas have been excluded from private domestic adoption data.
A note about foster care data: Data are underreported for FYs 23 & 24, as data are missing for two states. The number of children awaiting adoption refers to children in U.S. foster care with a permanency plan of adoption. Not all children with adoption permanency plans are legally free for adoption.
