Foreign Adoptions By Americans Hit 15-year Low

NEW YORK (AP) - The number of foreign children adopted by Americans fell by 13 percent last year, reaching the lowest level since 1995.

Figures released by the State Department for the 2010 fiscal year show China is still America's No. 1 source of adopted children, accounting for 3,401. Ethiopia was second, followed by Russia and South Korea.

Guatemala was the top source country in 2008, with 4,123 adoptions by Americans. But the number sank to only 51 last year as the Central American country's fraud-riddled adoption industry was shut down pending reforms.

The overall figures for 2010 showed 11,059 adoptions from abroad, down more than 50 percent than the all-time peak of 22,884 in 2004.

The last time there were fewer foreign adoptions to the U.S. was in 1995, when there were 9,679.