American families adopted 241 Indian kids in 2019: Report

American families adopted 241 Indian kids in 2019, an official US report said on Wednesday.

In fiscal 2019, consular officers issued 2,971 immigrant visas to children adopted abroad (2,677) or to be adopted in the United States (294) by American citizens, the State Department said in its 12th annual report on the issue.

The report shows a decline in the total number of inter-country adoptions by American families, Special Advisor for Children's Issues Michelle Bernier-Toth

told reporters during a news conference.

Most of that decline he attributed to a decrease of inter-country adoptions from just two countries: China (a decrease of 656) and Ethiopia (a decrease of 166). In both cases, the reductions result from "continued social, economic or legal changes that we have previously reported on regarding those countries", she said.

"We believe that most of the continuing worldwide decline is due to countries prioritising domestic placements for vulnerable children before considering ...