Intercountry adopted - a follow-up in adulthood

Hans Heggeman, Statistics Sweden
Anna-Karin Nylin, Statistics Sweden
Emma Snölilja, Statistics Sweden
Lars Jehpsson, Statistics Sweden

Sweden, in relation to its population, is one of the largest recipient countries for international adoption. Today, some 55 000 intercountry adopted persons are living in Sweden and adoption is seen as one of several ways to start a family. Earlier research on the life situations of adopted children in the new country and in their new families have mainly focused on psychosocial health issues. Research on adopted persons situation in adulthood has been mainly confined to young adults in their 20s. In this register study focus is on intercountry adopted men and women born between 1970-1979, a group who at the time of study was between 33 and 42 years old. The aim of the study is to shed light on Swedish intercountry adopted persons situation in adulthood regarding education, income and family. The results show that a lower share of adopted men and women has a long post-secondary education than do a comparable group of Swedish born men and women. Similar differences exists when studying income, a lower share of adoptees than Swedish born has a high income. The difference between adopted and Swedish born also appears when studying the share of men and women who have become parents. To a lesser extent adoptees has become parents. Throughout the study results have showed that adopted men differ more from the Swedish born men than the adopted women differ from the Swedish born women.