The figures published in this article are based on an annual survey among Dutch courts. Statistics Netherlands receives information on individual petitions for adoption dealt with by the courts. Data are added about children adopted under the The Hague Adoption Treaty (1998). If a child is adopted from one of the countries which have ratified the treaty, the adoption is automatically and fully recognised without intervention by a Dutch court. The data on these adoptions are based on information provided by the Ministry of Justice. Back to article