Adoptions, 2001

Adopted children with foreign citizenship accounted for 79 per cent of all adoptions in 2001, compared with 83 per cent the previous year. The yearly average was about 50 per cent between 1980 and 1985 and 31 per cent between 1971 and 1975. Of all the children adopted in 2001, 49 per cent had Asian background. The adoptees were mainly from China, South Korea, Columbia, Ethiopia and India, altogether about 500 children.

More stepchildren adoptions

The percentage of stepchild adoptions has declined since the 1980s, for then, in 2001 to rise to 18 per cent compared with 13 per cent in 2000. Compared with the 1970s, about 44 per cent of all adoptees were stepchildren. In 2001, 152 of 162 stepchildren were internal Norwegian adoptions.

Families adopted only 5 per cent of the Norwegian children where neither the mother nor the father had been an earlier stepparent.

Most adoptions from China

China became an adoption country in the last half of the 1990s. In 2001, 23 per cent of all adoptees came from this nation. South Korea dominated in the early 1980s, but there was a decline in adoptions after 1984. At the same time Columbia became a major country, when it concerns adoptions.

From Europe, except Norway, there were 22 adoptiees from Russia and 19 from Hungary. From the rest of Europe, there were only 15 adoptions.

. and more girls

The gender breakdown shows that 58 per cent of the adoptees were girls, although boys were in the majority from most of the countries. The majority of girls are due to the fact that as before most of all the adoptees from China were girls. A majority of the adopted from India were girls as well.

Age of adoptive children and parents

The average age of the adoptive parents was about 38 for the mothers, and about 40 for the fathers. These figures, which are calculated from adoptions made by couples, have remained stable the last five years.

Most of the adoptees were younger than 3 years old, 65 per cent, mainly within the age group 1-2 years. 73 per cent of those who were over twelve years old were earlier stepchildren.

Most adoptions in Rogaland and Akershus

In relation to the population within the age group 25 - 44 years, the national average was 0.68 per 1 000 inhabitants. The counties with largest number of adoptions in 2001 were Rogaland, 0.99 and Akershus, 0.92 - fewest in Oppland, 0.36.

An annual average for the years 1997-2001 shows that stepchild adoptions, compared with other adoptions, mainly foreign children, were in minority for all counties. Sogn og Fjordane had the lowest percentage, 9 per cent in stepchild adoptions, while Vestfold had the highest percentage, 29 per cent.

Who can adopt?

See law on adoption of 28.02.1986 no.8 (last changed on 1 January 2002) at:

http://www.lovdata.no/all/nl-19860228-008.html

The Adoption Statistics are published yearly.

Tables:

• Table 1 Adoptions, by the relationship of the adoptive parents to the child before adoption, and by the child's previous citizenship. 1966-2001
• Table 2 Adoptions, by the relationship of the adoptive parents to the child before adoption, and by the child's previous citizenship, sex and age. 2001
• Table 3 Adoptions, by the child's sex, age and previous citizenship. 2001
• Table 4 Adoptions, by the child's previous citizenship. Both sexes. 1997-2001
• Table 5 Adoptions, by the child's previous citizenship. Boys. 1997-2001
• Table 6 Adoptions, by the child's previous citizenship. Girls. 1997-2001