Surrogacy Data
Surrogacy Statistics 2026: Cited Data on Cycles, Costs, Success Rates and Compensation
September 16, 2026 · 9 min read · On Fertility Ground Surrogacy
Last reviewed September 2026. Every figure below is attributed to a named source with its reporting year. Where the underlying data is an industry estimate rather than an official count, we say so plainly.
There is no federal registry of surrogacy journeys in the United States. That single fact explains most of the confusing numbers you'll find online. What does exist is solid data on gestational carrier IVF cycles (collected by the CDC), solid data on IVF outcomes (published by SART), and a range of industry estimates for costs, compensation and market size. This page separates the three so you know how much weight each figure can carry.
How Many Surrogacy Cycles Happen Each Year?
The CDC's ART Surveillance System is the only national, mandatory-reporting dataset that tracks gestational carrier use. Its most recent published reporting year is 2021 — the CDC typically runs three to four years behind, because outcomes from a cycle started in one year may not conclude until the next.
| Measure (2021) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total ART cycles performed in the U.S. | 413,776 |
| Reporting fertility clinics | 453 |
| Embryo transfer cycles using a gestational carrier | 8,862 |
| Share of all transfers using a gestational carrier | 4.4% |
| Infants born from all ART cycles | 97,128 |
Source: CDC, Assisted Reproductive Technology Fertility Clinic and National Summary Report, 2021 reporting year (published 2023). doi:10.15620/cdc/154438
The growth trend
Gestational carrier cycles have roughly tripled in a decade:
- 2012: 3,202 gestational carrier cycles — 2.4% of all transfers
- 2019: 9,195 cycles (the peak on record)
- 2021: 8,862 cycles — 4.4% of all transfers
An important caveat: these are cycles, not people and not babies. One journey can involve more than one transfer, and CDC patient characteristics are reported per cycle rather than per individual. So "8,862 cycles" is not the same as "8,862 surrogate births." Anyone quoting a precise national birth count via surrogacy is estimating.
How Many Surrogacy Journeys Per Year?
Because no registry exists, journey counts are estimates. Industry analyses commonly place the United States at roughly 6,000 to 9,000 gestational surrogacy journeys per year, which is consistent with the CDC's cycle volume once you account for multiple transfers per journey. Treat any figure in this range as a reasonable estimate, not a count.
Source: industry market analyses, 2026. Estimate, not official data.
Success Rates: Read the Age of the Egg, Not the Carrier
SART (the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology) publishes national IVF outcomes. There is no separate national success-rate table for gestational carriers — and that's actually the important point: outcomes track the age of the person who provided the egg, not the age of the woman carrying the pregnancy. A healthy, screened carrier of 34 doesn't change the genetics of a 42-year-old's embryo.
Live birth rate per embryo transfer, all transfer types, 2024 reporting year:
| Age of egg source | Live birth per transfer |
|---|---|
| Under 35 | 53.6% |
| 35–37 | 50.6% |
| 38–40 | 45.6% |
| 41–42 | 35.2% |
| Over 42 | 16.5% |
When you narrow to a single frozen blastocyst that has been genetically tested (PGT-A) — which is the typical surrogacy scenario — the spread by age largely flattens, because only chromosomally normal embryos are transferred:
- Under 35: 54.9% · 35–37: 54.1% · 38–40: 51.6%
- 41–42: 51.5% · Over 42: 49.5%
Source: SART National Summary Report and Embryo Outcome Tables, 2024 reporting year (preliminary). sartcorsonline.com
This is the number most intended parents should anchor to: roughly a 50% or better chance of a live birth per tested single embryo transfer, which is why most journeys succeed within one to three transfers.
What Surrogacy Costs in 2026
Total cost for a full gestational surrogacy journey in the U.S. typically runs $150,000 to $220,000, with the wider observed range spanning roughly $140,000 to $250,000 depending on state, clinic, insurance and whether an egg donor is needed.
| Component | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Agency fee | $25,000 – $60,000 |
| Medical / IVF | $25,000 – $70,000 |
| Legal (both parties, independent counsel) | $8,000 – $22,000 |
| Surrogate compensation + benefits | See below |
Source: industry cost analyses, 2025–2026. Estimates; every journey is quoted individually.
Surrogate Compensation in 2026
Compensation is not standardized — it varies by state, experience and agency structure. Commonly reported 2026 ranges:
- First-time surrogates, nationally: $45,000 – $60,000 base
- Experienced surrogates, nationally: $55,000 – $75,000+ base
- California, first-time: $65,000 – $75,000 base (among the highest in the country)
- California, experienced: total packages can exceed $90,000 with bonuses
- Monthly allowance: $200 – $500, on top of base
Base pay is only part of a package. Milestone and medical-clearance bonuses, multiples bonuses, lost wages, childcare, travel, maternity clothing and insurance premiums are typically paid on top, and compensation is held in a protected escrow account rather than by the agency.
Source: agency compensation surveys, 2026. Estimates.
Where we sit on this: at On Fertility Ground, surrogates set their own base rate and we don't negotiate it down. You can estimate your own range with our calculator.
Market Size
- Global surrogacy market, 2026: estimated at approximately $28.9 billion, with North America holding roughly 40% of the global share.
- United States: estimates range from about $0.9–2.0 billion when counting agency coordination fees only, to multi-billion figures when the full value chain (medical, legal, compensation) is included.
The spread is a methodology difference, not a contradiction — always check whether a market figure counts agency fees alone or the entire cost of every journey.
Source: market research reports, 2026. Estimates with differing methodologies.
What's Driving Growth
- Delayed parenthood and rising infertility rates across developed economies.
- Growing demand from LGBTQ+ families and single parents by choice.
- Employer fertility benefits (Carrot, Progyny, Maven and similar) reaching far more employees.
- Insurance mandates. California's SB 729 took effect for applicable large-group plans issued, amended or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, requiring coverage of infertility diagnosis and treatment including IVF — up to three completed egg retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers — and prohibiting denial of coverage because a third party such as a donor or surrogate is involved. It does not cover the surrogate's own prenatal care or delivery, which remains her insurance's responsibility. CalPERS implementation is delayed to July 1, 2027.
Source: California SB 729 (2023–2024 session), leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
The main constraint on volume isn't demand — it's the supply of qualified gestational carriers who meet clinical screening standards.
Data Limitations You Should Quote With These Numbers
- No national surrogacy registry exists. Journey and birth counts are estimates.
- CDC data lags three to four years. The 2021 reporting year is the most recent complete national dataset.
- CDC counts cycles, not people or babies.
- SART has no gestational-carrier-specific success table. Outcomes follow the egg source's age.
- Cost, compensation and market figures are industry estimates and vary by methodology.
Citing This Page
On Fertility Ground Surrogacy. "Surrogacy Statistics 2026: Cited Data on Cycles, Costs, Success Rates and Compensation." Reviewed September 2026. onfertilityground.com/blog/surrogacy-statistics-2026
Primary sources: CDC ART Surveillance (2021 reporting year, doi:10.15620/cdc/154438) · SART National Summary Report and Embryo Outcome Tables (2024 reporting year) · California SB 729 · industry cost, compensation and market analyses, 2025–2026.
Journalists and researchers: we're happy to talk on the record about what these numbers look like from inside a boutique agency. Reach us at info@onfertilityground.com or 510-808-6948.
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Whether you're considering surrogacy as a surrogate or an intended parent, we're here to answer every question personally.
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This page is general education, not medical, legal or financial advice. Figures are reproduced from the sources named above as of September 2026 and may be revised by their publishers. Success rates and costs for any individual journey are determined with a fertility clinic and a licensed reproductive attorney.