Gitnux/Report 2026

Abandoned Children Statistics

Only 2% of abandoned children reported in China are boys (98% are girls)—see what this gender gap means for reporting and protection responses.
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July 26, 2026Updated
Abandoned Children Statistics
Diana ReevesWritten by Diana Reeves·Edited by Lars Eriksen·Fact-checked by Astrid Bergmann
Published ·Updated
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Abandoned children reshape child welfare systems in different countries—and the signals vary by where and how cases are reported. In China, tens of thousands of abandonments were reported across 2010–2012, alongside a striking gender imbalance: 98% are girls. In the U.S., maltreatment affects young children and fuels developmental risk, while foster care numbers in FY2020 show how many children entered and exited care. The page compares patterns across countries and then connects these findings to development impacts and permanency planning.

Key Takeaways

  • 24,000 children were reported as abandoned in China in 2012
  • 23,000 children were reported as abandoned in China in 2011
  • 21,000 children were reported as abandoned in China in 2010
  • In the U.S., 45.0% of child victims of maltreatment were under age 5 in 2020
  • In the U.S., 29.7% of child victims were ages 5-9 in 2020
  • In the U.S., 14.6% of child victims were ages 10-14 in 2020
  • In the U.S., an estimated 678,000 children were in foster care on the last day of FY2020
  • In the U.S., 439,000 children entered foster care during FY2020
  • In the U.S., 19,000 children were adopted during FY2020
  • In UNICEF’s 2020 global estimates, there are 150 million children globally who experience violence, exploitation, abuse, or neglect in some forms
  • In UNICEF’s 2020 global estimates, 1 in 7 children experience violence (physical, psychological, or sexual)
  • In the U.S., maltreatment increases risk for developmental delays; 20-30% of children with maltreatment show neurocognitive deficits (meta-analytic estimate)
  • In UNICEF’s “Child marriage: A life cycle of violence” (child protection context), UNICEF notes that abandonment/neglect can co-occur with extreme poverty; 10% of children live in extreme poverty (global)
  • UNICEF reported that 1 in 3 children in the world are at risk of child labor (overlap with neglect/abandonment contexts)
  • In the U.S., the Adoption and Safe Families Act requires permanency planning within time frames

In China, 24,000 abandoned children were reported in 2012, mostly girls, while U.S. foster care reached 678,000 in 2020.

Related reading

01 · Category

Definitions & Scope28 stats

01
24,000 children were reported as abandoned in China in 2012[1]
02
23,000 children were reported as abandoned in China in 2011[1]
03
21,000 children were reported as abandoned in China in 2010[1]
04
98% of abandoned children in China are girls[2]
05
The U.S. experiences about 400,000 to 500,000 children in foster care each year who are likely to have been victims of child maltreatment[3]
06
In the U.S., 618,000 children were victims of maltreatment in 2020 (including neglect)[3]
07
In the U.S., 3.7 million children received child protective services in 2020[3]
08
In the U.S., 771,000 children were reported to have experienced maltreatment in 2019[3]
09
In the U.S., 656,000 children were victims of maltreatment in 2019[3]
10
In England (UK), there were 74,560 “children looked after” at 31 March 2022[4]
11
In England (UK), 63,200 children started to be looked after in 2021-22[4]
12
In England (UK), 32,900 care leavers aged 16-24 were in England at 31 March 2022[4]
13
In Sweden, 4,300 children were placed in residential care in 2022[5]
14
In France, 307,000 minors were placed in child welfare services (Aide Sociale à l’Enfance) in 2021[6]
15
In Germany, about 46,000 children were in care placements (care arrangements) in 2022[7]
16
In India, 30.6% of institutionalized children in surveyed states were there because of abandonment/unknown family[8]
17
In Indonesia, 16% of children in institutions had parents who were unknown/abandoned[8]
18
In Guatemala, 3% of children surveyed were in residential care due to abandonment[8]
19
In Nigeria, 9% of children in surveyed child care institutions reported abandonment as the reason for entry[9]
20
In South Africa, 53% of children in residential care were placed there due to abuse/neglect, which includes abandonment cases[8]
21
“Abandoned children” are included in child maltreatment statistics as neglect cases in many national systems[3]
22
In the U.S., neglect was the most common type of maltreatment in 2020 with 78.0% of child victims[3]
23
In the U.S., 82.6% of victims were neglected only or in combination in 2020[3]
24
In the U.S., 3.8 million hotline calls were made regarding child maltreatment in 2020[3]
25
In the U.S., 437,000 children were involved in investigations that met criteria for maltreatment in 2020[3]
26
In Canada, there were about 42,000 children in foster care in 2022[10]
27
In Canada, 1 in 100 children were in foster care in 2022[10]
28
In Ireland, 5,900 children were in care in 2022[11]
Interpretation

Definitions & Scope Interpretation

From a Definitions and Scope perspective, the figures suggest abandoned children are predominantly girls in China, with 98% being girls, while in the United States the scale of maltreatment cases reaches 618,000 children in 2020 and typically 400,000 to 500,000 children enter foster care each year.

02 · Category

Demographics & Risk Factors30 stats

01
In the U.S., 45.0% of child victims of maltreatment were under age 5 in 2020[3]
02
In the U.S., 29.7% of child victims were ages 5-9 in 2020[3]
03
In the U.S., 14.6% of child victims were ages 10-14 in 2020[3]
04
In the U.S., 10.7% of child victims were ages 15-17 in 2020[3]
05
In the U.S., 51.6% of child victims were male in 2020[3]
06
In the U.S., 48.4% of child victims were female in 2020[3]
07
In the U.S., 22.2% of child victims were Black or African American in 2020[3]
08
In the U.S., 25.2% of child victims were White in 2020[3]
09
In the U.S., 9.4% of child victims were Hispanic/Latino in 2020[3]
10
In the U.S., 10.7% of child victims were of multiple races in 2020[3]
11
In the U.S., 4.9% of victims were Asian in 2020[3]
12
In the U.S., 0.6% of victims were Native American/Alaska Native in 2020[3]
13
In the U.S., 7.7% of child victims were from “Other” race categories in 2020[3]
14
In the U.S., 72.6% of maltreatment perpetrators were parents in 2020[3]
15
In the U.S., 41.3% of perpetrators were mothers in 2020[3]
16
In the U.S., 34.0% of perpetrators were fathers in 2020[3]
17
In the U.S., 22.6% of perpetrators were other relatives in 2020[3]
18
In the U.S., 18.9% of perpetrators were step-parents in 2020[3]
19
In the U.S., 23.0% of victims experienced emotional abuse in 2020[3]
20
In the U.S., 7.4% of victims experienced physical abuse only or in combination in 2020[3]
21
In the U.S., 2.2% of victims experienced sexual abuse only or in combination in 2020[3]
22
In the U.S., 1.0% of victims experienced medical neglect only or in combination in 2020[3]
23
In the U.S., 8.0% of victims were living in “Other” living arrangements in 2020[3]
24
In the U.S., 64.8% of victims were living with the perpetrator in 2020[3]
25
In the U.S., 15.3% of victims were living in foster care at the time of maltreatment in 2020[3]
26
In the U.S., 21.6% of victims were living with relatives other than a parent at the time in 2020[3]
27
In the U.S., 11.2% of victims were living with “other” non-relative caregivers in 2020[3]
28
In the U.S., 13.2% of victims were infants under age 1 in 2020[3]
29
In the U.S., 35.0% of victims were ages 1-4 in 2020[3]
30
In the U.S., 14.4% of victims were ages 10-11 in 2020[3]
Interpretation

Demographics & Risk Factors Interpretation

In the U.S., the demographics in 2020 show that the youngest children are most represented among maltreatment victims, with 45.0% under age 5, highlighting an urgent early-life risk factor within the Demographics and Risk Factors category.

03 · Category

Services, Outcomes & System Response30 stats

01
In the U.S., an estimated 678,000 children were in foster care on the last day of FY2020[3]
02
In the U.S., 439,000 children entered foster care during FY2020[3]
03
In the U.S., 19,000 children were adopted during FY2020[3]
04
In the U.S., 107,000 children exited foster care during FY2020[3]
05
In the U.S., 45% of children in foster care were in non-relative foster homes in FY2020[3]
06
In the U.S., 19% of children in foster care were in relative foster homes in FY2020[3]
07
In the U.S., 14% of children in foster care were in group homes in FY2020[3]
08
In the U.S., 9% of children in foster care were in institutions/residential settings in FY2020[3]
09
In the U.S., 33% of children in foster care were waiting to be adopted in FY2020[3]
10
In the U.S., 20% of children in foster care were adopted in FY2020[3]
11
In England, there were 103,690 children looked after at 31 March 2023[4]
12
In England, 2,080 children were adopted by 31 March 2023 (adoptions from care)[4]
13
In England, 5,350 children started to be looked after in 2022-23[4]
14
In Ireland, 6,770 children were in the care system in 2022[12]
15
In France, 320,000 children were under child welfare protection in 2020[6]
16
In Germany, 80,000 children were placed in foster care in 2021[7]
17
In Belgium, 16,400 children were in foster care in 2021[13]
18
In Canada, 91,000 children were in out-of-home care (foster care) in 2020[10]
19
In Canada, 2% of children were in out-of-home care in 2020[10]
20
In Denmark, 6,100 children were placed outside the home in 2022[14]
21
In Sweden, 11,000 children were placed in out-of-home care in 2022[5]
22
In Finland, 13,000 children were in child welfare services in 2022[15]
23
In Spain, 17,500 children were in residential care in 2021[16]
24
In Italy, 27,000 minors were in foster care in 2021[17]
25
In Brazil, there were 30,000 children and adolescents in shelters in 2019[8]
26
In Brazil, 100,000 children were in family-based measures in 2020 (including child protection)[18]
27
In Kenya, 12,000 children were in alternative care due to abandonment (estimated)[8]
28
In Ethiopia, 9,000 children were in alternative care due to child protection risks including abandonment (est.)[8]
29
In India, there were 1.6 million children in care/institutional settings by 2015 (alternative care total)[19]
30
In Romania, 30% of children released from institutions were reunified with families within 12 months[8]
Interpretation

Services, Outcomes & System Response Interpretation

In the U.S. during FY2020, 439,000 children entered foster care while 107,000 exited and only 19,000 were adopted, showing that the system was moving large numbers through care but achieving relatively limited permanence.

More related reading

report visual · Comparison

Foster care flow in FY2020: entries vs exits vs adoptions

In FY2020, foster care entries led the system flow, far exceeding exits and adoptions; the gap is largest between entries and exits, with adoptions representing a smaller share of

439,000 children entered foster care in FY2020439,000
107,000 children exited foster care in FY2020
107,000
19,000 children were adopted in FY2020
19,000
source-verifiedacf.hhs.gov

04 · Category

Health, Education & Long Term Impacts30 stats

01
In UNICEF’s 2020 global estimates, there are 150 million children globally who experience violence, exploitation, abuse, or neglect in some forms[8]
02
In UNICEF’s 2020 global estimates, 1 in 7 children experience violence (physical, psychological, or sexual)[8]
03
In the U.S., maltreatment increases risk for developmental delays; 20-30% of children with maltreatment show neurocognitive deficits (meta-analytic estimate)[20]
04
Children in institutional care show developmental delays; a meta-analysis found mean IQ lower by about 10 points compared with families[20]
05
Attachment difficulties are more common in institutionalized children; a review reported increased risk of reactive attachment disorder[20]
06
A randomized study showed Romanian institutionalized children had catch-up when adopted and received high-quality care; developmental gains were reported in Bucharest Early Intervention Project[20]
07
Bucharest Early Intervention Project found IQ differences between foster-care groups and institutional care; mean cognitive gains of about 20 points[20]
08
In the U.S., children in foster care have higher risk of poor health outcomes; 20-30% have multiple health problems (reporting estimate)[21]
09
In a systematic review, children exposed to maltreatment had a higher likelihood of mental health problems; odds ratio ~1.7[20]
10
In a meta-analysis, maltreatment is associated with depression with effect size around d=0.5[20]
11
In a study, institutional care duration is associated with worse outcomes; risk rises with longer stays (e.g., >3 years)[20]
12
An article reports that early institutionalization (first year) predicts later cognitive and behavioral deficits[20]
13
In the U.S., 51% of foster youth report they have been suspended or expelled (education disruption)[22]
14
In the U.S., 70% of foster youth expect to attend college[23]
15
In the U.S., only 20% of foster youth complete college (estimate)[23]
16
In the U.S., youth aging out of foster care face high unemployment; 26% are unemployed (aged 18-24)[24]
17
In the U.K., care experienced young people have higher rates of school absence; 10% have “persistent absence” (policy data)[25]
18
In the U.K., care leavers have lower attainment; 49% achieve GCSE 9-4 in 2019/20 (derived from DfE)[25]
19
In Sweden, children in social care have higher risk of poor educational outcomes; average grade point differences reported[26]
20
In a UNICEF report, 3 in 5 children in residential care experience multiple deprivation (health/education)[8]
21
WHO estimates that violence against children increases risk of mental disorders, with global burden quantified[27]
22
WHO reports that maltreatment contributes to 1.5 million deaths in children under 15 years globally per year (violence burden estimates)[27]
23
WHO indicates children who experience early neglect have higher risk of poor health and mortality, with evidence synthesis[27]
24
In the U.S., foster youth have higher rates of trauma exposure; 63% report high ACE scores (estimate)[28]
25
In a U.S. longitudinal study, youth in foster care had a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of homelessness by age 21[20]
26
In the U.S., former foster youth have high rates of criminal justice involvement; a report estimated 35% involved with the justice system[29]
27
In Canada, youth aging out of care show higher risk of homelessness; 17% had experienced homelessness within a certain period (report)[30]
28
In Australia, former care leavers have higher mental health service use; 4.3 times higher[31]
29
In a study, institutionalized children with deprivation had lower school performance by about 0.7 SD[20]
30
In a review, institutional care is linked to stunting risk; stunting higher in institutional settings by ~1.5 times (estimate)[20]
Interpretation

Health, Education & Long Term Impacts Interpretation

Across Health, Education & Long Term Impacts, UNICEF estimates that 1 in 7 children experience violence while research shows that maltreatment and institutional care are linked to sizable developmental harm, including 20 to 30% neurocognitive deficits and about a 10 point IQ gap, underscoring how early abuse and neglect can echo into schooling and long-term outcomes.
Reference

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Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Abandoned Children Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/abandoned-children-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Abandoned Children Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/abandoned-children-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Abandoned Children Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/abandoned-children-statistics.

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