Overview

Adoption is one of the options used to provide permanent care for children who are unable to live with their families. The adoption process establishes a permanent, legal parent–child relationship between a child and their adoptive parent(s).

More reports and statistics on adoption can be found under Child protection and Children & youth.

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Latest findings

Known child adoptions (where a child is known to the adoptive parent) made up 69% of all finalised adoptions in 2020–21

Adoption numbers in Australia declined by 63% over the past 25 years – from 709 in 1996–97 to 264 in 2020–21

Adoption by carers was the most common type of known child adoption (55%), followed by step-parents (42%)

The majority of local adoptees (95%) and intercountry adoptees (71%) were aged under 5

The 264 adoptions finalised in 2020–21 are the lowest number on record

In 2020–21, the median length of time to process an intercountry adoption was 3 years and 4 months

Highlights

Main country of origin for intercountry adoptions has varied between the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea over the past 10 years.
Overall adoption numbers declined 63% over the past 25 years – from 709 in 1996–97 to 264 in 2020–21.
Median waiting time for families adopting from overseas has been less than 4 years since 2015–16.
Intercountry adoption numbershave generally declined since 2005–06 from 421 to 42 in 2020–21.
Indigenous children Of the 124 Indigenous Australian children adopted over the past 25 years, 39% involved adoptive parents who identified as Indigenous Australians.
Finalised adoptions There were 264 finalised adoptions in Australia in 2020–21 – comprising 42 intercountry adoptions and 222 Australian child adoptions.
‘Known child’ adoption where the child is already known to the adoptive parent(s) – increased over the past decade from 129 in 2011–12 to 183 in 2020–21.