US Immigrant Population Drops for First Time in Six Decades: Pew Report

‘Mexico was the largest origin country for immigrants who arrived between 2021 and 2023,’ Pew said.

Illegal immigrants walk alongside the U.S.–Mexico border wall after crossing the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, on Feb. 1, 2024. John Moore/Getty Images

The foreign-born population in the United States declined by nearly 1.5 million between January and June 2025, according to an analysis of census data by the Pew Research Center released on Aug. 21.

The figure includes both illegal immigrants and residents lawfully residing in the country. In January, there were 53.3 million immigrants in the United States. By June, that number had fallen to 51.9 million, the research found.