CHINA LEADS ADOPTION STATISTICS FOR 2004       

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(May 27, 2005)   Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) today released the international adoption statistics for 2004 to the Adoption Council of Canada. In 2004 Canadians adopted 1,955 children from abroad, compared to 2,180 the year before. China stayed by far the number one choice of Canadian families.

Although the numbers are down 10% in one year, the decline is part of the normal variation over the past decade. Intercountry adoptions to Canada have been stable for ten years, running between 1,800 and 2,200 a year:

ADOPTIONS BY COUNTRY

Note that in these tables the entry "x" represents 0, 1, 2 or 3. CIC has suppressed figures from 0 to 3, citing privacy concerns.

Adoptions from most countries declined in 2004. However, three countries showed increases of around 7%: Haiti, U.S. and Philippines. And three showed substantial increases: Russia, up 15%; South Korea, up 33%; and Ethiopia, up from 14 to 34, or 143%.

Though adoptions from China dropped 10%, it remains by far the most popular country. It is the choice of 51% of Canadians adopting from abroad -- 1,001 Chinese children found homes in Canada in 2004.

Four countries are new to the top 25 list: South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Poland and Moldova.

Some countries have fallen off the chart since last year. The following did not make the top 25 because they had six adoptions or less (in brackets is the figure for 2003): Vietnam (45), North Korea (24), Kazakhstan (8), Romania (8), St. Vincent (7).

Adoptions in Vietnam have been suspended since 2001, owing to the failure of Canada to conclude a bilateral treaty on adoption with Vietnam. Vietnam has signed adoption agreements with France, Italy, Denmark, Ireland and, most recently, Belgium.

ADOPTIONS BY PROVINCE 

As in previous years, Québec stayed on top as leading destination province, receiving 783 children from abroad. Ontario was second with 673. Both provinces accepted fewer children in 2004 than in 2003.

In a year of declining numbers, two provinces bucked the trend. British Columbia registered an increase, from 211 to 227. In New Brunswick intercountry adoptions rose from 25 to 34.

This table shows the flow of children from sending countries to receiving provinces in 2004.

The figures show interesting regional differences. Manitobans tended to adopt Ethiopian children. Albertans adopted more Haitian children than Chinese children. Almost half of adopted American children moved to families in British Columbia. And all the 32 children adopted from Belarus went to Quebec families.

Do people in different provinces actually prefer certain countries over others? The differences between provinces seem to be explained rather by the presence in a province of an adoption agency working with a given country. As for the large number of adoptions from Haiti to Quebec, the common language plays a role. Haiti is the only French-speaking sending country, creating a natural affinity with francophones in Quebec.

ADOPTIONS BY AGE AND SEX

Of the 1,955 adoptions in 2004, 1,463 were girls, and 492 were boys. The large number of girls reflects the high proportion of girls in Chinese orphanages. Most adopted Chinese children are girls; only 3% are boys. If we exclude China, the sex distribution for all other countries would be 52% girls, 48% boys.

ADOPTIONS BY CENSUS METROPOLITAN AREA

Once again Montreal welcomed the most children from abroad, reflecting Québec's position as leading destination province.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For previous reports on international adoption, see:

(June 28, 2004)  INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS UP: 2,181 IN 2003, http://www.adoption.ca/news/040628stats03.htm

(Dec. 12, 2003)  CANADIANS ADOPT ALMOST 20,000 CHILDREN FROM ABROAD, http://www.adoption.ca/news/031212cicstats.htm

(May 6, 2003)  INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS STEADY IN CANADA, http://www.adoption.ca/news/030506stats02.htm

For more statistics, see "ACC - Statistics", http://www.adoption.ca/statistics.htm

ABOUT ACC

Based in Ottawa, the Adoption Council of Canada is a federally chartered, charitable organization which aims to inform and educate Canadians about all aspects of adoption, and encourage the adoption of children needing permanent homes.

Interested in domestic adoption? Consult Canada's only national photolisting web site, "Canada's Waiting Kids", http://www.canadaswaitingkids.ca, run by the Adoption Council of Canada. It shows photos and profiles of children in the care of Canadian child welfare agencies and waiting for permanent adoptive families.

For definitions of adoption terms, go to http://www.adoption.ca and click "Glossary".

Source: Adoption Council of Canada, www.adoption.ca

Copyright 2006 Adoption Council of Canada. Reproduction permitted, if credited "Source: Adoption Council of Canada, www.adoption.ca".

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