2. China
Orphan population: 20.6 million
One-child policy in China, which was introduced between 1978 and 1980 to slow down population growth, had left millions of children orphaned. The great majority of them were girls as parents preferred sons who would continue to run family households. Last year the government canceled the one-child policy because of growing aging population. Although this change will certainly affect the orphan population in Chine, there are claims that for some time now children with medical needs, not girls, are most often abandoned, as parents don’t have means or simply don’t want to take care of a child who has the serious medical condition.
