Q&A: How Pew Research Center estimates the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.
In this Q&A, we speak with Senior Demographer Jeffrey S. Passel about how the Center estimates the number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Immigrant Populations
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Immigrant Populations
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What the data says about immigrants in the U.S.
As of June 2025, the country’s foreign-born population had shrunk by more than a million people, marking its first decline since the 1960s.
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About 1 in 4 U.S. adults worry they or someone close to them could be deported
About four-in-ten immigrants (43%) say they worry a lot or some, up from 33% in March.
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How Americans feel about making English the official language of the U.S.
About half of U.S. adults (51%) say it is extremely or very important for the U.S. to make English its official language.
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Key facts about the U.S. Black population
Utah experienced the fastest growth in its Black population between 2010 and 2023, with an increase of 89%.
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Why Asian Immigrants Come to the U.S. and How They View Life Here
Most say they’d move to the U.S. again if they could and cite a good comparative standard of living. But 59% also see major issues with the immigration system.
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U.S. immigrant population in 2023 saw largest increase in more than 20 years
The number of immigrants living in the U.S. grew by about 1.6 million people in 2023, the largest annual increase by number since 2000.
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The Religious Composition of the World’s Migrants
The globe’s 280 million immigrants shape countries’ religious composition. Christians make up the largest share, but Jews are most likely to have migrated.
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Religious Composition of the World’s Migrants, 1990-2020
Explore our interactive table showing the religious composition of immigrants around the globe and how it’s changed from 1990 to 2020.
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What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.
The unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S. grew to 11 million in 2022, but remained below the peak of 12.2 million in 2007.
