Newcastle University, England, UK

Peter SelmanNewcastle University, UK

pfselman@yahoo.co.uk

One Million Children Moving: The Demography of Intercountry

Adoption

A Demographic History of ICA

• Although intercountry adoption is often seen as starting with the adoptions from South Korea after the Korean war, there were also many adoptions during and following World War 2, while the movement of children to distant lands was a feature of British policy from the 19th century to the 1960s – the story of the child migrants.

• More than 380,000 children were adopted world-wide to 23+ countries between 2000 and 2009, the most for any decade in history.

• In 2010-2011 there were a further 53,000; In 2012 there have been 15,600 adoptions to 10 countries and a likely total of at least 20,000 for all 23, so that we can say that since 2000 there have been at least 450,000.

ICA in the 21st Century

Intercountry Adoption 2000-2011

2001 2004 2007 2009 2011 2000-11USA

19,237 22,884 19,613 12,753 9,320 216,234

Spain 3,428 5,641 3,648 3,006 2,573 44,756

France3,094 4,079 3,162 3,017 1,995 40,752

Italy1,797 3,402 3,420 3,964 4,022 36,177

Canada1,874 1,955 1,712 2,129 1,785 22,719

TOTAL 36,399

(23)

45,299

(23)

37,249

(23)

29,687

(23)

23,609

(22)

432,628

ICA in Twentieth Century• The aim of this presentation is to look at the growth of intercountry since the second world war – so that the key question is about the number of children moving in the second half of the 20th century to add to the 450,000 identified as the contribution of the 21st century.

• My starting point will be to look at the work of Sara-lee Kane on the 1980s.

Sources of Data for Estimates

• Few countries sending children for ICA have kept detailed records over the whole period in which such adoptions took place. The best sequence is that for Korea, recording 165,000 international adoptions since 1953.

• For this reason Kane decided to base her global estimate on countries thought to receive at least 20 children a year.

SOUTH KOREA 1953-2010

1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 20050200040006000800010000

Total Intercountry Adoptions = 165,000

Annual number of Adoptions

Intercountry Adoption 1980 - 1989

• Kane (1993) obtained data from 14 receiving countries – 6 had good data for all 10 years; 6 for 5-9 years ; Canada (data for Quebec only) for 4 years ; 2 (Spain and Germany) had data for only 3 years.

• Data sent amounted to 163,000 (47% - from the USA), Kane estimates a minimum of 170-180,000 for the decade.

ICA 1980-1989 – Kane (1993)

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1980-89

USA4,868 7,127 9,285 10,09

77,948 95,860

France1,256 1,952 1,995 1,735 2,383 18,501

Sweden1,789 1,651 1,560 1,355 883 14,524

Netherlands 1,643 1,283 1,297 872 642 11,525

Italy206 n/a 1,150 1,602 2,332 10,055

TOTAL (14) 11,997(9)

14,672

(9)

18,382

(12)

19,451

(14)

19,073

(14)

162,970

(8-14)

States of Origin 1980-1989

Rankv

Country Total children sent

% ofall

Ratio (per 1,000 births)

in 19891 KOREA 61,235 5.4 2 INDIA 15,325 < 0.13 COLOMBIA 14,837 2.5

TOP 3 > 91,3874 BRAZIL 7,527 0.55 SRI LANKA 6,815 1.06 CHILE 5,243 3.07 PHILIPPINES 5,167 0.4

ALL STATES > 163,000 ------

Intercountry Adoption: Developments, Trends &

Perspectives• Published by BAAF in 2000 – includes chapters on Sweden, Netherlands, Australia, India and US; review of research in Norway, UK, Sweden and Netherlands + contributions of British and Swedish adoptees

Intercountry Adoption 1990 -1999

• Data were obtained for 18-22 countries from 1994 – 1999 and for 11-15 countries for 1990-1993 ( no data for Belgium Canada, Germany, Italy and Spain in some years)

• 223,000 children were recorded as adopted to these countries – many from China and Russia after 1992 There were 10,000+ from Romania in

1990/91 - 500+ to Germany and Italy; 200+ to UK and Greece• Estimated number not recorded would be at least 11,000. So decade total would be c 235,000

Intercountry Adoption 1990-99

1990 1993 1995 1997 1999 1990-99

USA7,093 7,377 8,987 12,743 16,363 102,26

4France

2,956 2,790 3,035 3,537 3,597 31,703Italy

n/a 1,896 2,161 2,019 2,177 14,788Canada

320 1,740 2,020 1,795 2,020 15,694Sweden

1,113 934 895 834 1,019 9,670TOTAL 14,037

(11)17,778(15)

22,723(19)

26,788(20)

32,974(22)

222,758

(11-22)

Missing data 1990-19991989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1990-3

Available >

18,195(14-Kane)

14,026(11)

16,150(13)

14,300(14)

17,607(15)

20,459(18)

Estimatev

Italy 2,332 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,696 1,712 4,500Germany 1,088 800 800 800 800 837 3,200Belgium 771 300 392 338 394 360 300Spain 94 100 150 200 250 356 1,500

d

Other --- 400 a b

500 a b 300b 350 b 300 c 1,850

Estimate >

3,100 2,950 2,800 1,400 300 11,000+

a) - inc adoptions

from Romania

b) inc estimates for Luxembourg & New Zealand

c) – est for

NZ

d) – with 800 on 1996

In-country and Intercountry Adoption in India and Korea

INDIA KOREAIntercoun

tryIn-

countryIntercoun

tryIn-country

19901995200020042008

1,2721,2361,3641,021821

1,0751,4241,8702,2942,169

2,9622,1802,3602,2581,250

1,6471,0251,6861,6411,306

Pop 2005

1,103 million 47.8 million

Births 2005

25,926 thousand 438 thousand

Ratio 0.034 0.088 4.8 3.3

Top 7 Sending Countries: 1980-2009

1980-89 1998 2004 2009

Korea

India

Colombia

Brazil

Sri Lanka

Chile

Philippines 

China

Russia

Vietnam

Korea

Colombia

Guatemala

India  

China

Russia

Guatemala

Korea

Ukraine

Colombia

Ethiopia

China

Ethiopia

Russia

Ukraine

Vietnam

Korea

Colombia

1976 1980 1990 2000 2010 -

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

KOREA 1976-2010: CHINA 1990-2011

KOREACHINA

NUMBER OF ADOPTIONS

Intercountry Adoption 1970-1979

Sources of data• Good data were available for 5 countries (USA; Holland; Denmark, Norway and Sweden) – these lead into Kane’s data

• Kane shows that France and Switzerland each received nearly 1,000 children in 1980

• Data from Korea can be used to identify other key receiving states.

ICA from 5 Countries 1970-79

1970 1973 1975 1977 1979 1970-79

USA2,409 4,015 5,633 6,493 4,864 45,798

Sweden1,150 1,314 1,517 1,864 1,382 14,819

Netherlands 159 622 1,150 1,217 1,599 8,970

Denmark226 687 770 715 491 5,883

Norway115 294 296 412 275 2,906

TOTAL (5) 4,05

96,932

9,366

10,701

8,611 78,376

Intercountry Adoption 1970-1979

• Data for USA, Holland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden give a total of 78,000+ .

• Belgium and France received 6,000 from Korea alone during this decade.

• Children were also sent by India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and several Latin American countries; and received in addition by Canada, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

• A decade total of 90-100,000 is likely.

ICA from other states 1970-791970-2 1973-5 1976-8 1979 1970-79

Total(Korea)

6,932 9,366 10,701 8,611 78,376

Switzerland (170) (575) (234) 448 1,500+France (Korea)

(232) (506) (1,919) (560) (3,217)

Belgium (Korea)

(626) (855) (1,022) (146) (2,649)

Germany (73) (457) (434) (136) (1,100)Other 100 300 400 200 1,500Additions > 10,000+Revised Total 90,000+

Intercountry Adoption 1948-1969

• Altstein & Simon (1991) record more than 31,000 to USA; there were 4,500 to Sweden; and children also went to the Netherlands (650+), Belgium, Norway and Switzerland

• Korea sent 9,000+ children from 1953-1969 (7,500 to USA)

• Germany sent ? 30,000 ( 5,000 to the US)• Greece sent c 4,000 to US and 400+ to Netherlands

• Children were also sent from Austria and Japan

• The total number moving in these years will be at least 40,000+

Summary of Estimate 1948-2012

• 2000-2012 450,000 +• 1990-1999 235,000 +• 1980- 1989 170,000 + (Kane)• 1970-1979 95,000 +• 1948- 1969 40,000 +• All states 1948-2012 =1,000,000 +

• USA 1948-2012 = 470,000 (47%)

1970 1980 1990 2000 20100

5,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,000

Intercountry Adoption 1963-2010

WORLDKOREA