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.
Immigration Trends
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Immigration Trends
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U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Reached a Record 14 Million in 2023
The number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. reached an all-time high after two consecutive years of record growth.
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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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Key facts about Asians in the U.S.
The number of Asian Americans grew from 11.9 million in 2000 to 24.8 million in 2023.
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What we know about the U.S. H-1B visa program
Nearly 400,000 H-1B applications were approved in fiscal year 2024, most of which were applications to renew employment.
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Americans lean toward keeping legal immigration steady, see high-skilled workers as a priority
About four-in-ten Americans (42%) say highly skilled workers should be given top priority to legally immigrate to the U.S.
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Migrant encounters at U.S.-Mexico border have fallen sharply in 2024
The monthly number of U.S. Border Patrol encounters with migrants crossing from Mexico has plummeted in 2024 from 2023’s record high.
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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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Latinos’ Views on the Migrant Situation at the U.S.-Mexico Border
U.S. Hispanics are less likely than other Americans to say increasing deportations or a larger wall along the border will help the situation.
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Key facts about recent trends in global migration
The number of international migrants grew to 281 million in 2020; 3.6% of the world’s people lived outside their country of birth that year.
