Press release No. 261 of 23 June 2022
- Two thirds of all adopted children adopted by a stepparent
- Stepchildren under 3 as a percentage of all adopted children up to 27%
- Adoptions of stepchildren much more common in the western than in the eastern part of Germany
- Adoptions by strangers down 30% over the past ten years
WIESBADEN – 3,843 children were adopted in Germany in 2021. This was an increase of 2% on the previous year (+69 cases). Two thirds of these children were adopted by their stepfathers or stepmothers. An increasing number was adopted as babies or young children below the age of 3, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The number of stepchildren under 3 years as a percentage of all adopted children rose from 6% to 27% over the past 10 years and thus more than quadrupled within 10 years. Compared with 2020, the increase was two percentage points. The total number of adoptions, in contrast, fell by 5% (-217 cases) in 10 years.
