The 'complicated' choice of motherhood in Italia

Italia

International adoptions still declining: complexity of cases weighs heavily

Small but structural decline in 2025: 70% of adopted children have special needs, process still over 50 months

by Giulia Cannizzaro

10 May 2026

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

In the midst of a structural demographic crisis and a birth rate at an all-time low, even the intercountry adoption channel continues to lose momentum. Over the past decade, the number of children adopted in Italia has progressively decreased, reflecting a mix of economic, social and geopolitical factors that have made the adoption process more complex and less accessible. A trend that will not stop even after the timid signs of recovery recorded in 2024 and that in 2025 will show a new downturn, confirming a dynamic that is now structural rather than cyclical.

The Numbers of 2025

The latest report of the Commission for International Adoptions (CAI), published on 29 April, confirms a downward trend, observed in 2025, both in the number of adopted children and in the number of applications made, which, compared to 2024, fall from 691 to 664 and from 536 to 527, respectively. A fluctuating trend, therefore, made up of minimal percentage changes despite the geopolitical upheavals of recent times. Some structural elements of the phenomenon remain constant, as Vincenzo Starita, vice-president of the Adoption Commission, recalls in the report. In particular, there continues to be a high incidence of adoptions of minors with special needs, i.e. children with disabilities or previous traumas, minors over 7 years of age or members of siblings who must be taken in together.

Of the 664 children for whom authorisation to enter Italy was issued, in fact, 465 fell into the 'special needs' category, accounting for 70% of the total number of adoptions, registering a slight increase compared to 2024, when this type of adoption accounted for 67%. No major changes in the profile of adopted children either: in 2025, 53% were male and the average age was 6.8 years, a value broadly in line with that recorded in 2024 (7 years). With regard to the countries of origin, however, we are once again faced with a polarisation of flows. 50% of entry authorisations are concentrated in just three countries of origin: Hungary (with 163 adopted minors),India (87) and Colombia (80).

Adoption times

But how long does it take to adopt a child today? From the stage of submitting the application for availability for adoption to the competent Juvenile Court, to the completion of the adoption procedure, it takeson average 50 months, just over four years. Again, this is a slight decrease from 2024 when it took 53 months to become a foster parent.

As in the past, the most critical phase remains the one between the assignment to an authorised body and the matching, i.e. the moment when the competent authorities of the child's country of origin identify, among the families declared suitable, the parental unit deemed best suited to meet the needs of that particular child. This phase now takes 24 months, almost half the total duration of the procedure.

"There are two factors that contribute to the extension of time. The first concerns the increase in the complexity of today's children's needs that would-be foster families are often unable to cope with, and then there is the so-called 'funnel effect' on some countries: those states that demonstrate a high need for international adoptions will, in the long run, suffer an overload of adoption requests that will inevitably increase the time of the procedure," explains Marco Rossin, head of the international adoptions sector of the Avsi Foundation.

Yet, despite the complexity and delicacy of this step, the trend continues to be downward compared to the past. In 2024, in fact, the procedure took 31 months, in 2023, 33. This is a sign that diplomatic channels are holding up despite the increase in complexity and the unstable international situation.

Singles' adoptions

One of the most talked-about new developments concerns singles who have the desire to adopt a child. One year after sentence no. 33 deposited on 21 March 2025, in which the Constitutional Court opened international adoptions to singles, according to data confirmed by the Avsi Foundation, there are 195 potential single mothers and fathers who have applied for eligibility. Ten, on the other hand, according to CAI, have appointed an authorised body, effectively starting the adoption procedure. "This year we have had many singles who, after the news of the ruling, attended the information meetings we organised. But from this, to the assignment and the start of the procedure, it goes a long way,' Rossin explains.

Instead, it will be the Constitutional Court that will establish whether or not the prohibition for homosexual couples, civilly united, to have access to intercountry adoption is in conflict with the Charter and the European Convention on Human Rights. Casting doubts on the legitimacy of the impediment, posed by Article 39-bis of the law on transnational adoptions 184/1983, is the Court of Venice, called to decide on the adoption application - of a child living in an orphanage abroad - made by a couple composed of two men in their 40s, civilly united since 2019.

Reimbursement of expenses

Another innovation introduced in 2025 concerns the reimbursement of expenses incurred for adoptions concluded in 2025. With the Decree of the Minister for Family, Birth and Equal Opportunities of 5 September 2025, extra contributions were introduced to support adoptive parents, especially those who take in children with special needs. In this case, in addition to claiming reimbursement of expenses, there is the possibility of obtaining an extra contribution of 3,500 euro. These are all measures aimed at encouraging those who want to become adoptive parents.