These Are The Largest Immigrant Groups In America

The U.S. has long been a top destination for immigrants seeking better opportunities. As of 2023, nearly 48 million people in the country were born abroad, representing 14% of the country’s total population.

In this visualization, Visual Capitalist’s Marcus Lu breaks down the largest immigrant groups in America by nationality, highlighting the top 10 countries from each region.

Note that this analysis covers legal immigrants only. Check out our previous post to see a similar breakdown of illegal immigrants coming into the U.S.

Data & Discussion

The data for this visualization comes from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). It shows the number of foreign-born U.S. residents by country of origin, as of 2023.

Americas: 25.3M Immigrants

Mexico stands out as the dominant source of U.S. immigrants, with nearly 11 million as of 2023. Historical ties, geographic proximity, and longstanding migration channels are major factors.

Several other Latin American countries rank highly, including El Salvador, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

Asia: 14.9M Immigrants

After the Americas, Asia & Oceania is the next largest source of U.S. immigrants.

India (2.9 million) is the second-largest country source after Mexico, while China (2.2 million) and the Philippines (2.05 million) also rank in the top five.

Fact: In 2024, Indian students accounted for nearly 30% of all international students in the U.S.

Europe: 4.8M Immigrants

While Europe was once the primary source of immigrants to America, its share has declined over time. The combined European total remains substantial, though spread across many countries.

Africa: 2.8M Immigrants

Africa is the region with the least amount of immigrants living in America.

According to historical MPI data, the annual number of new permanent residents from Africa has grown slowly and inconsistently. This could be due to closer ties between Africa and China.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Why Did Asian Immigrants Come to the U.S.? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.