The “x-ray” of the fetusesn in Greece in recent years is reflected in a document which was forwarded to the Parliament by the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Sofia Zacharakis, in the context of parliamentary control.

The data had been requested by New Democracy Member of Parliament Yannis Oikonomou, with a relevant question that he had addressed to Mrs. Zacharakis and with which he asked to be informed about the number of adoptions from state and non-state institutions, about adoptions from one parent, the number of men and women who take advantage of the possibility which the law gives them to adopt a child on their own but also the characteristics of the adoptive parents (married, cohabitation agreement, single, male, female, age, homosexual, nationality, economic status, etc.).

From institutions to home

In relation to adoptions from state institutions, adoptions from other institutions from Greece or abroad and private adoptions carried out each year, it follows that:

  • In 2020, 217 final adoption decisions were issued in the country. No interstate adoption decision was ratified. The conditions that prevailed due to the pandemic and affected the movements may also have contributed to this.
  • In 2021, 172 adoption decisions were issued, of which 12 related to sibling adoptions, therefore the total number of adopted persons in 2021 is 184. Of these 184 adopted persons, 83 were boys and 101 were girls. Through adoption, a total of 92 children who previously lived in an institutional environment in the country were rehabilitated (72 children resided in NPDD structures and 20 resided in NPID structures).
  • In 2022, 242 adoption decisions were issued, of which 25 related to sibling adoptions, so the total number of adopted persons in 2022 is 274. Of these 274 adopted persons, 144 were boys and 130 were girls. Through adoption, a total of 111 children who previously lived in an institutional environment in the country were rehabilitated (77 children resided in NPDD structures and 34 resided in NPID structures).

Adoptions from one parent

Data on single-parent adoptions over the past five years and applications submitted show that:

  • In 2018, there were 109 single-parent adoptions. Out of these 109 adoptions, in 56 cases there was only a father as an adoptive parent and 14 of them involved the adoption of an adult. In 53 cases, there was only a mother as a stepparent, and 30 of them concerned adult adoptions.
  • In 2019 there were 80 single parent adoptions. Of these 80 adoptions, in 45 cases there was only a father as an adoptive parent and 30 of these involved adult adoptions. In 35 cases, there was only a mother as a step-parent, and 7 of them related to adult adoptions.
  • In 2021 there were 25 single parent adoptions. Out of these 25 adoptions, in 6 cases there was only a father as an adoptive parent and 6 of them involved an adult adoption. In the 19 cases, there was only a mother as a step-parent, and 4 of them related to adult adoptions.
  • In 2022 there were 71 single parent adoptions. Of these 71 adoptions, in 36 cases there was only a father as an adoptive parent and of these 36 involved adult adoptions. In the 35 cases, there was only a mother as a stepparent, and 19 of them concerned adult adoptions.

Adoption applications

New Democracy MP Yannis Oikonomou had also requested information on adoption applications.

In her response, the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Sofia Zaharakis, explains that the anynet information system was put into operation in April 2019. Therefore, precise data on applications submitted in writing to the agencies in previous years do not exist.

Before the start of operation of the said information system, the then competent Ministry of Labor asked the competent, for the implementation of adoptions and adoptions, state bodies to send in an excel file, all the data of the relevant applications that had been accepted in the past and which were in waiting status, i.e. no adoption or adoption had been implemented. The aim of this collection was also for past, pending applications to be transferred to the information system, (provided that the applicants have consented to the processing of their personal data), with an earlier electronic protocol number than that received by new applications submitted directly to information system. All this effort was aimed at being able, with a view to the equal treatment of all citizens, to unify all the procedures for the implementation of adoptions and adoptions in the country, taking care, however, of the necessity of prioritizing the earlier applications. With a data extraction date of 01/26/2024, 1,668 adoption applications are registered in the National Register of Prospective Adoptive Parents.

The characteristics of prospective adoptive parents

Regarding the characteristics and profile of potential adoptive parents, the only data for which numerical data can currently be extracted are gender, marital status and age. In terms of gender, of the 232 applications submitted by single parents, 16 have been submitted by men and 216 by women.

Regarding the marital status of prospective adoptive parents and the ages of those applicants registered in the National Registry, the figures show that 1,436 are married and 232 are single or widowed or divorced.

Of the total of 1,668 prospective adoptive parents, 1,078 are aged 41 to 50 (percentage 64.6%), 318 are aged 51 to 60 (percentage 19.1%), 270 prospective adoptive parents are aged 31 to 40 years old (16.2% rate) and 2 prospective adoptive parents are between 21 and 30 years old (0.1% rate).

“Data such as sexual orientation is not entered in parameterized fields, but in the suitability assessment report, therefore data cannot be extracted. In addition, information such as the financial situation is not entered in parameterized fields, but results from the statements posted by citizens when submitting the application. Finally, it is reported that there are no adoption applications filed by citizens in a cohabitation agreement, as based on the current legislation, only single parents or married people (not people in a cohabitation agreement) are allowed to submit an application” the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family also states .