International adoptions account for more than half of all adoptions in Latvia this year

Publication date: 5 June 2016

2016-06-05

BNS/LETA/TBT Staff/RIGA

[Rolands Lakis]

Out of 76 children adopted in Latvia in the first four months of this year 40 children, more than half, were adopted by foreign families, according to information from the Welfare Ministry.

The number of adoptions keeps falling in Latvia. There were 76 children adopted between Jan. and April 2016, 29 fewer children than in the same period in 2015. The monthly number of adoptions in February and March this year was also smaller than during the respective months in 2015.

In the first four months of last year, Latvian families adopted 53 children and foreign families adopted 50 children from Latvia.

At present 1,342 children in Latvia are still available for adoption. Most of them, 919, are children aged 10 to 18 years. Latvian families prefer to adopt younger children. Out of 36 children adopted in the first four months of this year, 34 were younger than eight years and only two were aged 10 to 18. Foreign families adopted 40 children, of which 30 were older than seven years, including 17 older than 10 years.

There were 267 Latvian children adopted in 2015, down by 33 adoptions from 2014. Latvian families adopted 132 children last year. Foreign families adopted 135 Latvian children in 2015, 178 in 2014, and 141 in 2013.

Countries: Latvia