There were around 50,000 children adopted from Guatemala before international adoption closed in 2008. These children were adopted by families in the United States, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Israel, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and Switzerland. Adoption from Guatemala was at its peak in 2007,  and in 2007 the adoption system was  greatly reformed to be in compliance with the Hague Convention. 

Children adopted from Guatemala are citizens of Guatemala by birth making us eligible for Guatemalan passports and DPIs(Guatemalan IDs). We also hold citizenship with our adopted countries. We who were adopted come from all across Guatemala and from all the diverse ethnic groups of Guatemala: the 23 Mayan communities, Xinca, Ladino, Garifuna and those primarily of European descent.