How South and Central Asia’s footprint in the US population is growing

The US population is growing:- America’s immigrant population from South and Central Asia has grown to new heights over the past decade and continues to grow rapidly.

Between 2010 and 2022, the number of immigrants from these regions living in the United States rose from 2.9 million to nearly 4.6 million – an increase of nearly 60%, according to recently released data from the US Census Bureau.

The increase dwarfs the 15.6% increase in the U.S.’s total “foreign-born” population over the same period, the data show.

Jeanne Batalova, a demographer at the Migration Policy Institute, said the increase was “incredible.”

“We are talking about a growth rate that is four times higher,” Batalova said in an interview with VOA.

The Census Bureau defines “foreign born” as anyone who was not a U.S. citizen at birth, including naturalized citizens and lawful permanent residents.

The total foreign-born population of the U.S. in 2022 was 46.2 million, or nearly 14% of the total population, up from 40 million, or nearly 13% of the total population, in 2010, the Census Bureau reported on 9 April.

The Census Bureau data underscore how much immigration patterns have changed in recent years. While Latin America was once the leading source of migration to the US and still accounts for half of the foreign-born population, more immigrants are now coming from Asia, Africa and other parts of the world.

Between 2010 and 2022, the foreign-born population from Latin America increased by 9%, while the flow from Asia grew three times as fast, with South and Central Asia accounting for most of the increase.

“We’re reaching a broader spectrum of countries than before,” said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. “The old image of immigration to the US, where only many Latin Americans and Mexicans come to the US, is wrong.”

To understand immigration trends from South and Central Asia, VOA dug into census data and spoke to demographers. Here’s a look at what we found.

How many immigrants from South and Central Asia live in the US?

The Census Bureau places ten countries in its South and Central Asia bucket: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan.

The agency’s foreign-born population estimates are based in part on an annual survey known as the American Community Survey. Every estimate has a margin of error.

In 2022, the foreign-born population of South and Central Asia was estimated at 4,572,569, up from 3,872,963 in 2010. The margin of error was plus or minus about 55,000.

With more than 2.8 million inhabitants, Indians were by far the largest foreign-born group in the region. That was an increase from almost 1.8 million in 2010.

The second largest group came from Pakistan – almost 400,000, up from almost 300,000 twelve years earlier – followed by Iran with 407,000, an increase of more than 50,000.

But in percentage terms, several other communities in the region posted significantly larger increases.

The number of foreign-born Afghans rose from 54,458 in 2010 to 194,742 in 2022, an increase of 257%. Batalova said this was largely due to the flow of refugees caused by the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

“In terms of speed of change, Afghanistan surpasses all other countries in South and Central Asia,” she said.

Foreign-born Nepalis recorded the second highest percentage increase, from 69,458 to 191,213 – an increase of 175%.

There were increases of 91% and 60% among immigrants from Bangladesh and Uzbekistan, respectively.

When and how did immigrants from South and Central Asia arrive in the country?

Although Indians have been immigrating to the US for decades, a significant portion of immigrants from South and Central Asia have arrived recently.

More than 42% of them entered the U.S. in 2010 or later, surpassing the nearly 27% of the total foreign-born population who settled during the same period, according to Census Bureau estimates.

Batalova noted that immigrants from South and Central Asia follow different routes to the United States. For example, Indians are largely dependent on student and work visas and family reunification.

Many Central Asians gain access through the diversity visa program, with around 36% of Uzbek green card holders benefiting from the scheme. Bangladeshis also benefited from the so-called ‘Green Card Lottery’ before Bangladesh became ineligible for the program in 2012 after 50,000 Bangladeshis emigrated to the US over a five-year period.

Regarding the recent influx of Afghan immigrants, most were admitted under special immigrant visas and humanitarian parole programs after the Taliban took over the country.

How do the education levels and other characteristics of South and Central Asians compare to the total foreign-born population?

Immigrants from South and Central Asia tend to have higher levels of education than the general population and are more likely to work in sought-after professional jobs.

More than 70% had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with nearly 34% of the total foreign-born population, according to Census Bureau estimates for the 2018-2022 period.

Nearly 68% worked in management, business, science and the arts, compared to 36% for all immigrants.

Immigrants from India in particular tend to enjoy high levels of education and professional jobs. Nearly 48% of Indians had a university or professional degree, while more than 77% worked in management, business, science and the arts.

Where do most immigrants from South and Central Asia live?

More than half of immigrants in the United States live in just four states: California, Texas, Florida and New York.

However, for immigrants from South and Central Asia, the top four states of residence are New Jersey, California, New York, and Virginia.

In New Jersey, located south of New York State, foreign-born South and Central Asians made up 3.6% of the state’s 9 million residents. In California, they represent 2.31% of the state’s 39 million residents.

How big are the diaspora communities?

The foreign-born population of South and Central Asia should not be confused with the number of U.S. residents who claim ancestry from the region.

Including second and third generation immigrants, the diaspora community represents a larger number.

Demographers at the Migration Policy Institute estimate that about 5.2 million people in the U.S. identify as “South Asian Indians.” About 250,000 claim Afghan descent.

The 2020 US Census found that 687,942 people identified as “Pakistanis only” or in combination with other groups, which is far more than the estimated 400,000 foreign-born Pakistanis in the US.

As for the region’s other diaspora communities, “they would not be much (bigger) than the total immigrant populations just because they are more recent immigrant groups,” Batalova said. VOA/SP