All U.S. population growth in 2022-2023 happened because of immigration, not births — the first time that’s occurred since 1850, a migration think tank reported Wednesday.
That immigration growth has happened as U.S. birth rates have fallen, the Migration Policy Institute reported as part of its latest edition of “Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States.”
The immigrant population grew by 1.6 million people between 2022 and 2023, reaching a record high of 47.8 million in 2023, according to the analysis. That’s about a 3.6% population increase, the largest annual growth since 2010, the institute stated in its report.
However, the foreign-born percentage of the U.S. population is 14.3%. That puts it slightly below the 14.8% registered in 1890, MPI said.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of immigrants in the U.S. are legally present and almost half are naturalized citizens, according to MPI.
In addition to naturalized citizenship, those with legal status include green-card holders (legal permanent residents), refugees, those who have been granted asylum, had long-term visas as students, temporary workers or other categories.
U.S. birth rates reached a historic low in 2023, falling 2% from the previous year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fertility rate fell to 54.5 birth per 1,000 females of ages 15-44 in 2023, down from 56 in 2022.
The Census Bureau began collecting nativity data in 1850, when 2.2 million immigrants made up 10% of the U.S. population.
The U.S. is in the midst of a major immigration policy shake-up, with the Trump administration making a number of moves to curtail it. Many of its efforts are focused on illegal immigration, but some legal immigration and naturalization programs and pathways are also being affected.
At the same time, you’re hearing about countries like South Korea and Japan, and a handful of others, actually offering money for people to immigrate to their country. I suspect that, like in United States, some other countries are just so depressing, that no one wants to have a family there, while, as you mentioned, others are leaving.
Although, I’ve never thought of South Korea nor Japan as somewhere I wouldn’t want to live. Then again, I’m not interested in raising the family here, either.
Both have a national culture extremely focused on work, careers and personal financial success with a terrible work/life balance. SK especially has such a crazy focus on academics and careers that kids spend 12-14 hours a day strictly studying to try and get into better colleges, and developing a relationship is completely ignored.
I know that Japan has been that way for an extremely long time, so South Korea (which, despite what they would like to admit, shares a great deal in common with Japan) is the same way. Maybe I’m a bit biased because I have never thought about having a family, nor am I in anyway interested in having one, so I don’t really put a lot of thought into “would this be a nice place to live _ with my family_?”
Nonetheless, culturally ingrained attributes to any country can be extremely difficult to change, even in a long-term. Europe, especially northern Europe, has the best quality of life in the world. Most of the rest of the Europe has started to follow suit (until recently). If I could move anywhere right now, it would be either back to New York, or two, possibly, Sweden or Germany. Although, I admit, the ladder is starting to give me pause recently with the rise of the AfD.
Why my loyalty, for now, lies with the USA, I’m also disabled and queer. Our government and too many of the people here are hostile to such things, and becoming worse every day.
The real shame is that I don’t have a marketable job that I can use as a bargaining chip for ex patriation. Although, I hear that Sweden has a lot of ways to work around there, rather Stern immigration roles.
Perhaps it’s time to look back into that, since the last time I heard about it was about 15 years ago. Still…