Immigrants listen to a speech as they wait to become U.Due south. citizens at a naturalization ceremony in Los Angeles. (Marking Ralson/AFP/Getty Images)

The Us has more immigrants than any other country in the world. Today, more than 40 million people living in the U.S. were born in some other country, accounting for about one-fifth of the world'southward migrants. The population of immigrants is also very diverse, with just about every state in the world represented among U.S. immigrants.

Pew Research Center regularly publishes statistical portraits of the nation's foreign-built-in population, which include historical trends since 1960. Based on these portraits, hither are answers to some key questions about the U.Due south. immigrant population.

How many people in the U.Due south. are immigrants?

The U.S. strange-built-in population reached a record 44.eight 1000000 in 2018. Since 1965, when U.S. immigration laws replaced a national quota system, the number of immigrants living in the U.S. has more than quadrupled. Immigrants today account for 13.7% of the U.S. population, almost triple the share (4.8%) in 1970. Still, today's immigrant share remains beneath the tape xiv.8% share in 1890, when 9.2 million immigrants lived in the U.Southward.

Immigrant share of U.S. population nears historic high

What is the legal status of immigrants in the U.S.?

Unauthorized immigrants are almost a quarter of U.S. foreign-born population

Most immigrants (77%) are in the state legally, while virtually a quarter are unauthorized, according to new Pew Research Heart estimates based on census information adapted for undercount. In 2017, 45% were naturalized U.South. citizens.

Some 27% of immigrants were permanent residents and 5% were temporary residents in 2017. Some other 23% of all immigrants were unauthorized immigrants. From 1990 to 2007, the unauthorized immigrant population more tripled in size – from three.5 million to a tape high of 12.2 million in 2007. By 2017, that number had declined past 1.7 million, or 14%. In that location were x.5 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2017, accounting for 3.2% of the nation'due south population.

The refuse in the unauthorized immigrant population is due largely to a fall in the number from Mexico – the single largest group of unauthorized immigrants in the U.South. Between 2007 and 2017, this group decreased by 2 million. Meanwhile, there was a rising in the number from Fundamental America and Asia.

Do all lawful immigrants cull to become U.S. citizens?

Not all lawful permanent residents choose to pursue U.Due south. citizenship. Those who wish to do then may utilize later on meeting sure requirements, including having lived in the U.S. for 5 years. In fiscal year 2019, about 800,000 immigrants practical for naturalization. The number of naturalization applications has climbed in recent years, though the annual totals remain below the 1.4 million applications filed in 2007.

Generally, most immigrants eligible for naturalization apply to get citizens. However, Mexican lawful immigrants have the lowest naturalization rate overall. Language and personal barriers, lack of interest and financial barriers are among the top reasons for choosing not to naturalize cited by Mexican-born dark-green menu holders, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey.

Where do immigrants come from?

Mexico, China and India are among top birthplaces for immigrants in the U.S.

Mexico is the pinnacle origin country of the U.S. immigrant population. In 2018, roughly 11.2 million immigrants living in the U.South. were from in that location, accounting for 25% of all U.Due south. immigrants. The next largest origin groups were those from China (6%), India (vi%), the Philippines (four%) and Republic of el salvador (3%).

By region of nascence, immigrants from Asia combined accounted for 28% of all immigrants, close to the share of immigrants from Mexico (25%). Other regions make up smaller shares: Europe, Canada and other Due north America (thirteen%), the Caribbean area (10%), Central America (8%), Due south America (seven%), the Middle East and North Africa (4%) and sub-Saharan Africa (five%).

Who is arriving today?

Among new immigrant arrivals, Asians outnumber Hispanics

More i million immigrants arrive in the U.S. each year. In 2018, the height country of origin for new immigrants coming into the U.South. was Prc, with 149,000 people, followed by India (129,000), Mexico (120,000) and the Philippines (46,000).

By race and ethnicity, more than Asian immigrants than Hispanic immigrants have arrived in the U.S. in most years since 2009. Immigration from Latin America slowed following the Great Recession, particularly for Mexico, which has seen both decreasing flows into the United States and large flows dorsum to Mexico in recent years.

Asians are projected to become the largest immigrant group in the U.Southward. past 2055, surpassing Hispanics. Pew Research Heart estimates signal that in 2065, those who place as Asian will brand up some 38% of all immigrants; as Hispanic, 31%; White, 20%; and Black, ix%.

Is the immigrant population growing?

U.S. foreign-born population reached 45 million in 2015, projected to reach 78 million by 2065

New immigrant arrivals have fallen, mainly due to a decrease in the number of unauthorized immigrants coming to the U.S. The drop in the unauthorized immigrant population tin can primarily be attributed to more Mexican immigrants leaving the U.South. than coming in.

Looking forwards, immigrants and their descendants are projected to account for 88% of U.S. population growth through 2065, bold electric current immigration trends proceed. In addition to new arrivals, U.S. births to immigrant parents will be important to hereafter growth in the country'south population. In 2018, the percentage of women giving birth in the past year was higher among immigrants (vii.five%) than amongst the U.S. born (5.7%). While U.Due south.-born women gave birth to more three million children that yr, immigrant women gave birth to about 760,000.

How many immigrants have come to the U.S. as refugees?

More than half of U.S. refugees in 2019 were from D.R. Congo and Burma

Since the cosmos of the federal Refugee Resettlement Program in 1980, about iii one thousand thousand refugees accept been resettled in the U.S. – more than any other country.

In fiscal 2019, a total of xxx,000 refugees were resettled in the U.S. The largest origin group of refugees was the Autonomous Republic of the Congo, followed by Burma (Myanmar), Ukraine, Eritrea and Afghanistan. Amongst all refugees admitted in fiscal year 2019, iv,900 are Muslims (16%) and 23,800 are Christians (79%). Texas, Washington, New York and California resettled more than a quarter of all refugees admitted in financial 2018.

Where do most U.S. immigrants live?

Nearly half (45%) of the nation'south immigrants alive in just iii states: California (24%), Texas (11%) and Florida (10%). California had the largest immigrant population of whatsoever state in 2018, at 10.6 million. Texas, Florida and New York had more than four one thousand thousand immigrants each.

In terms of regions, almost two-thirds of immigrants lived in the West (34%) and South (34%). Roughly one-fifth lived in the Northeast (21%) and xi% were in the Midwest.

In 2018, most immigrants lived in just 20 major metropolitan areas, with the largest populations in the New York, Los Angeles and Miami metro areas. These top xx metro areas were home to 28.7 million immigrants, or 64% of the nation's total foreign-built-in population. Most of the nation'southward unauthorized immigrant population lived in these pinnacle metro areas as well.

20 metropolitan areas with the largest number of immigrants in 2018

How exercise immigrants compare with the U.Southward. population overall in education?

Educational attainment among U.S. immigrants, 2018

Immigrants in the U.South. every bit a whole have lower levels of teaching than the U.S.-born population. In 2018, immigrants were over three times as likely as the U.S. built-in to have not completed high school (27% vs. 8%). However, immigrants were only every bit likely as the U.Southward. born to have a bachelor's degree or more (32% and 33%, respectively).

Educational attainment varies among the nation's immigrant groups, particularly across immigrants from unlike regions of the world. Immigrants from Mexico and Key America are less likely to be high school graduates than the U.S. built-in (54% and 47%, respectively, do not have a loftier school diploma, vs. 8% of U.S. born). On the other manus, immigrants from every region except Mexico, the Caribbean area and Central America were as likely as or more than likely than U.Due south.-born residents to accept a bachelor's or avant-garde caste.

Amongst all immigrants, those from South asia (71%) were the virtually likely to have a bachelor's degree or more than. Immigrants from Mexico (7%) and Cardinal America (11%) were the least likely to have a available'southward or higher.

How many immigrants are working in the U.S.?

Total U.S. labor force grows since 2007, but number of unauthorized immigrant workers declines

In 2017, about 29 1000000 immigrants were working or looking for work in the U.S., making up some 17% of the total civilian labor force. Lawful immigrants made up the majority of the immigrant workforce, at 21.2 million. An additional seven.6 million immigrant workers are unauthorized immigrants, less than the total of the previous year and notably less than in 2007, when they were 8.two million. They alone business relationship for 4.half dozen% of the civilian labor force, a dip from their height of 5.4% in 2007. During the same period, the overall U.Due south. workforce grew, as did the number of U.S.-born workers and lawful immigrant workers.

Immigrants are projected to drive future growth in the U.Due south. working-age population through at least 2035. As the Babe Smash generation heads into retirement, immigrants and their children are expected to starting time a pass up in the working-historic period population past calculation about 18 million people of working historic period between 2015 and 2035.

How well practice immigrants speak English language?

Half of immigrants in U.S. are English proficient as of 2018

Among immigrants ages five and older in 2018, one-half (53%) are skillful English speakers – either speaking English language very well (37%) or only speaking English at home (17%).

Immigrants from Mexico have the lowest rates of English proficiency (34%), followed by those from Cardinal America (35%), East and Southeast Asia (50%) and South America (56%). Immigrants from Canada (96%), Oceania (82%), Europe (75%) and sub-Saharan Africa (74%) have the highest rates of English proficiency.

The longer immigrants have lived in the U.S., the greater the likelihood they are English language skillful. Some 47% of immigrants living in the U.S. five years or less are proficient. Past contrast, more half (57%) of immigrants who have lived in the U.Southward. for 20 years or more are adept English language speakers.

Among immigrants ages 5 and older, Spanish is the near commonly spoken language. Some 42% of immigrants in the U.Southward. speak Spanish at habitation. The top 5 languages spoken at habitation amongst immigrants outside of Spanish are English only (17%), followed by Chinese (half dozen%), Hindi (5%), Filipino/Tagalog (4%) and French (iii%).

How many immigrants have been deported recently?

Effectually 337,000 immigrants were deported from the U.S. in fiscal 2018, upwardly since 2017. Overall, the Obama assistants deported about 3 million immigrants between 2009 and 2016, a significantly college number than the two million immigrants deported by the Bush administration betwixt 2001 and 2008. In 2017, the Trump administration deported 295,000 immigrants, the everyman full since 2006.

Immigrants convicted of a crime made upwards the less than half of deportations in 2018, the well-nigh recent twelvemonth for which statistics past criminal status are available. Of the 337,000 immigrants deported in 2018, some 44% had criminal convictions and 56% were non convicted of a crime. From 2001 to 2018, a bulk (60%) of immigrants deported take not been convicted of a crime.

U.S. deportations of immigrants slightly up in 2018

How many immigrant apprehensions take place at the U.Due south.-Mexico border?

The number of apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border has doubled from fiscal 2018 to financial 2019, from 396,579 in fiscal 2018 to 851,508 in financial 2019. Today, there are more than apprehensions of non-Mexicans than Mexicans at the border. In fiscal 2019, apprehensions of Fundamental Americans at the border exceeded those of Mexicans for the fourth consecutive year. The first time Mexicans did not brand up the bulk of Edge Patrol apprehensions was in 2014.

How practice Americans view immigrants and clearing?

U.S. immigrants are seen more as a strength than a burden to the country

While immigration has been at the forefront of a national political debate, the U.Southward. public holds a range of views about immigrants living in the land. Overall, a majority of Americans have positive views about immigrants. About two-thirds of  Americans (66%) say immigrants strengthen the country "because of their hard piece of work and talents," while about a quarter (24%) say immigrants burden the land by taking jobs, housing and health intendance.

Still these views vary starkly by political affiliation. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 88% retrieve immigrants strengthen the country with their hard piece of work and talents, and just 8% say they are a burden. Amid Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 41% say immigrants strengthen the state, while 44% say they burden it.

Americans were divided on time to come levels of immigration. A quarter said legal immigration to the U.S. should be decreased (24%), while 1-third (38%) said immigration should be kept at its nowadays level and well-nigh another third (32%) said immigration should be increased.

Note: This is an update of a post originally published May three, 2017, and written by Gustavo López, a quondam research analyst focusing on Hispanics, clearing and demographics; and Kristen Bialik, a former research banana.

CORRECTION (Sept. 21, 2020): An update to the methodology used to tabulate figures in the chart "Among new immigrant arrivals, Asians outnumber Hispanics" has inverse all figures from 2001 and 2012. This new methodology has also allowed the inclusion of the figure from 2000. Furthermore, the before version of the nautical chart incorrectly showed thepartial year shares of Hispanic and Asian recent arrivals in 2015; the correctedcomplete yr shares are 31% and 36%, respectively.

Abby Budiman is a erstwhile research annotator focusing on race and ethnicity enquiry at Pew Enquiry Heart.