The US is home to more immigrants than any other country – more than 45 million people, according to the latest Census estimates.
That’s 13.6% of the US population, about the same as it was a century ago. But over the years, we’ve seen significant shifts in where immigrants to the US come from, and where they end up once they get here.
Here’s a look at these key immigration trends and how they’ve changed over time.
For decades one country has topped the list
Mexicans represent the largest group of immigrants living in the United States. That’s been true since 1980, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. And the Mexico-US route is the largest migration corridor in the world.
But the total number of Mexican immigrants living in the US has been on the decline for more than a decade.
An estimated 10.7 million Mexican immigrants lived in the US in 2021, roughly 1 million fewer than the number a decade earlier.
Meanwhile, immigration from other countries, including India and China, has been on the rise, according to MPI.
As one expert told CNN last year, the range of reasons why people move to the US from different parts of the world is as varied as the list of countries these immigrants once called home. Some are seeking economic opportunities. Others are fleeing violence, persecution or climate disasters. And others are hoping to reunite with family members who are already here.
According to an analysis of Census data from MPI, the top 10 countries of origin for immigrants in the United States are all in Latin America and Asia.
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