With birth rates dropping across the world, migration is becoming an increasingly important driver of countries’ populations and economic output potential. In the US, about 14% of the current population is foreign-born. Green cards show a foreign-born person’s legal permanent residence in the US. In 2022, about 1 million people received a green card up from 740 thousand in 2021. Of the nearly 10 million green card recipients over the last decade, 14% came from Mexico, 7% from India, 7% from China, 5% from Cuba and 5% from Dominican Republic. Only about half of green card admittances come from new arrivals with the other half coming from adjustment of status i.e., people receiving green card who have been in the US for some time. Around 1990 a large number of adjustments were made causing a spike in issued US green cards.
Source: US Department of Homeland Security, December 2023.