Adoptions, 2004

For the fifth consecutive year China was the main supplier country with 269 children. Still the number of children adopted from China is slightly lower than in 2003. The number of adopted children decreased for almost all countries. Only for children from the Philippines, Thailand, Ethiopia, Poland and South Korea the number of adopted children increased compared with 2003.

About 30 per cent of all adoptions in Oslo and Akershus

In absolute figures, the counties of Akershus (122), Hordaland (101) and Oslo (100) had the highest number of adoptions. Oslo and Akershus as a region had almost 30 per cent of all while the lowest number of adoptions was recorded in Nord-Trøndelag.

As usual - the majority of adopted children were girls

Roughly to thirds of all children adopted in 2004 were girls, in absolute figures 493 girls and 298 boys. As in previous years, nearly all the children adopted from China were girls. Six in 10 children have their origin in Asian countries.

Deviation

Adoption agencies in Norway count an adoption from the day the child arrives in Norway. Statistics Norway's figures are based on the date when the adoption report from the Ministry of children and family affairs is cleared. Therefore the figures Statistics Norway publishes can differ from those adoption agencies announce.

Tables:

• Table 1 Adoptions, by the relationship of the adoptive parents to the child before adoption. 1966-2004
• Table 2 Adoptions, by the relationship of the adoptive parents to the child before adoption and county. 2004
• Table 3 Adoptions, by the relationship of the adoptive parents to the child before adoption, sex and age. 2004
• Table 4 Adoptions, by the child's sex, age and previous citizenship. 2004
• Table 5 Adoptions, by the child's previous citizenship. Both sexes. 1997-2004