More Danish than Asian children up for adoption in Denmark

In Denmark, most adopted children come from abroad, especially from Vietnam and South Korea, but for the first time in many years, there are more Danish than foreign children up for adoption in Denmark, JydskeVestkysten writes.

Since free abortion became legal in Denmark in 1973, there have been few Danish children up for adoption. Some years under 10 children but in 2020, there were 40 Danish children.

In 2020 only 23 children were adopted to Denmark from abroad which is the lowest number since foreign adoptions began in earnest.

According to JydskeVestkysten, this has led the National Board of Appeal (Ankestyrelsen) to offer couples and singles who are on a waiting list for a foreign child to move to the list of Danish children. Currently, there are only 28 couples/singles on the waiting list for a Danish child. Some may become parents within a year while the waiting time for a child from abroad is somewhere between 44 and 50 months.

In Denmark, a Danish adoption is free for the adopters but adopting a foreign child can cost up to DKK 200,000 to 300,000.