Are adoption rates increasing in the United States?

No. In the United States, adoptions from foster care have been declining in recent federal data, not rising.

According to fiscal year 2025 figures from the federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), about 43,380 children exited foster care to adoption that year (26% of exits). That is down from roughly 46,935 exits to adoption in FFY 2024, and below the roughly 50,000–66,200 annual range reported since 2012. Reunification with parents or primary caregivers remains the most common exit path.

Source: U.S. Foster Care Statistics (citing AFCARS) — Christian Alliance for Orphans

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