According to the Nanchang Project‘s Facebook page, China has officially ended international adoptions. Historically, China has been the source of some 30% of all international placements to the U.S.

The Associated Press confirmed the decision, citing a China Foreign Ministry spokesperson who said the only exception for foreign adoptions would be “full blood relatives adopting a child or step child.” No further information was provided, except that the decision “was in line with the spirit of relevant international conventions.”

There does not yet appear to be an official public announcement from the U.S. State Department, but State did send out emails to waiting families and to adoption agencies. The Nanchang Project shared screen shots of the emails.

China now joins Russia, Guatemala, and Ethiopia among others in closing international adoption programs.

Since 1999, almost 83,000 children were adopted to the U.S. from China. The total number of intercountry adoptions between 1999 and 2023 was 284,088, according to the State Department. The number of adoptions from China has declined dramatically in recent years, according to State Department statistics.

In 2005, China placed 7,903 children in the U.S.; in 2023, the number was 16.

International adoptions have declined dramatically in recent years. There are many reasons for that: changing political climates, more in-country adoptions, slowdowns in processing during the pandemic, concerns about fraud and corruption, increased attention focused on adult adoptees’ experiences, and other reasons. Read more here:

Intercountry Adoption: The Beginning of the End

Uncovering the Truth About Intercountry Adoption’s Decline

Lamenting the Decline in International Adoptions? Take Action

Power is shifting dramatically in the adoption community. The once robust adoption industry has been overtaken by concerns around trafficking and commodification of children. The notion and nuance of abolition of adoption will increase in coming years. That said, vulnerable children and families around the globe need support and safety. Adoption may fade; the needs of children will not.