| Abstract: | Statistics were assembled from countries which receive children for intercountry adoption. This data suggests that at least 170,000–180,000 children were involved in international adoption in the past decade; that international adoption has increased by 62 percent during this period; and that 90 percent of the children involved during the decade came from only ten sending countries. Sixty-eight sending countries were identified during the decade, a dramatic increase from the twenty-two sending countries identified in 1980. Although data was available from only fourteen receiving countries, at least twenty receiving countries were identified during the study. Asia has been the predominant sending region of the world, but if current patterns continue South America will soon become the major sending region. Every region of the world except Asia has increased both the number of children sent abroad and its share of world totals. |
