The number of adoptions has gone down significantly over the past 30 years, according to a study published by the Federal Statistics Office.
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The figures were down from 1,600 in 1980 to around 500 in 2009.
In all, 32,500 people were adopted during the 30 years covered by the study. Of those, 28,700 were minors. The average age was between seven and 11, depending on the year.
Thirty years ago most adoptions were within the family – often stepfathers adopting their wives’ children. Today most adoptions are from outside the family.
The study notes that two-thirds of those adopted in 1980 were Swiss, while in 2008, that number had declined to a third.
Of the minors adopted over the years, 15,000 were girls and 13,700 boys. Adopted girls came mainly from Thailand, India or Sri Lanka; the boys came mainly from Brazil, Colombia or Switzerland.
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