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Adoption Statistics

An at-a-glance overview of United States adoption trends by type since 2000
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24%

Decline in adoptions from foster care since peaking in 2019

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15,590

Youth aged out of foster care                  without a permanent family in 2023

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94%

Decline in intercountry adoptions since peaking in 2004

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77,089

Children were waiting to be adopted at the end of 2023*

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3%

Increase in private domestic adoptions since 2019

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67,746

Children were in foster care for 2+ years before exiting in 2023

Annual Adoptions by Type

Adoption Statistics - 2025
Sources:

Adoption from foster care: 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.

* 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.