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Not valid stats here, but you are asking a question that I think many people are interested in and I hope that more people have information to share on this! Based on calling many (25 or so) domestic agencies (big and small, local and not so local), the range in the percentage of successful placements (from timing of match all the way through to finalization) that was quoted to me ranging from about 50% to 95% (seriously!).
The typical number an agency gave me was ~75% successful placements (so, to us prospective adoptive parents, 1 in 4 of us will experience the heartbreak of a failed placement). And all of the agencies that quoted this percentage (or higher) really talked quite a bit about the counceling programs they have in place for the potential birth mom to make sure that as many aspects of what is happening is understood and thought through so that she can decide at the birth if she wants to parent or place and what is best for both herself and the child.
And just thinking out loud here, but as far as parents coming back later to take the kids away after the finalization......that just doesn't really make too much sense if all parental rights for both parents have been signed off, and the adoption is finalized, it seems that the frequency of this is actually pretty low. I found a stat on adoption.com that says "Very few adoptions are contested: less than .1% each year. (Groza and Rosenthal, 1998)". I think this is the same site that was referenced earlier!
So, the ones that seem to make the news seem to mostly involve one parent that never signed off on their rights, or need to prove that they were "talked into" signing off their rights (or were coerced in some way). I am not saying those are the only times there are battles, but they seem to make the news and headlines when this situation exists and it perpetuates the fear of this more than is reality.....just MHO (and I am very afraid of the heartbreak of the lost match, but this part doesn't seem as likely to happen in my mind somehow)..........
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