U.S. immigrant population in 2023 saw largest increase in more than 20 years

By John Gramlich and Jeffrey S. Passel

The number of immigrants living in the United States increased by roughly 1.6 million people in 2023. That marks the largest single-year increase in the nation’s immigrant population since 2000, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of recently published data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Overall, a record 47.8 million immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2023, up from 46.2 million in 2022. The nation’s immigrant population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and lawful temporary residents, as well as unauthorized immigrants.

While the number of immigrants in the U.S. reached a new record high last year, their share of the population remained below the all-time peak. Immigrants accounted for 14.3% of the total U.S. population in 2023 – up roughly threefold from 4.7% in 1970, but still below the record high of 14.8% in 1890.

The U.S. has long been home to more immigrants than any other country. These immigrants hail from many places, but the most common origin nations as of 2023 were Mexico (10.9 million people, or 23% of the total), India (2.9 million, or 6%), China (2.4 million, or 5%) and the Philippines (2.1 million, or 4%).

When it comes to legal status, nearly three-quarters of immigrants living in the U.S. as of 2022 were naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents or lawful temporary residents. Around one-in-four (23%) were in the country without authorization.