Foreign adoptions by US families drop by more than a quarter
David Crary, Ap National Writer Updated 2:40 pm CDT, Wednesday, May 6, 2020
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of foreign children adopted by U.S. parents fell by more than one-quarter last year, extending a 15-year decline, according to State Department figures released Wednesday.
Sharp drops in adoptions from China and Ethiopia more than offset increases from Ukraine, Liberia and elsewhere.
In the 2019 budget year, there were 2,971 adoptions from abroad, compared with 4,059 in 2018 and a high of 22,884 in 2004. The number has dropped every year since then, even as American families continue to account for roughly half of all international adoptions worldwide.