Statistics Of Transracial Adoption

Transracial adoption can apply to both domestic and international adoptions in which an adoptee is of a different ethnic background than the adoptive family.

According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, there are fewer Caucasian children up for adoption in the last few years. As transracial domestic adoption becomes more common, attitudes will change. Unfortunately, there's no statistic to predict the likelihood of a complete stranger asking rude or personal questions about your transracial family. Between 1,000 and 2,000 African-American children are adopted by Caucasian families every year, according to a 1991 study by Dorothy Brooks. Which, while dated, may speak volumes for more contemporary numbers.

The other side of transracial adoption statistics are the international numbers, which have decreased significantly since 2004. In 2010, the number of international adoptions reached a number that hadn't been so low since 1996, according to data compiled by the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

There were 12,728 visas granted to orphans in 2009, a 46 percent decrease in a mere five years, according to data compiled by Travel.State.gov, a service of the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

The majority of international adoptees in 2009 came from China and Ethiopia, by a small margin. Ten years ago, more Russian orphans were granted visas than both Chinese and Ethiopian orphans in 2009. Since 1999, nearly a quarter of a million children were adopted internationally. Well over half of which were female and under a year old.