Commentary

Africans Drive Recent Growth of Foreign Born Blacks

According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, written by Monica Anderson, Research Analyst, a record 3.8 million black immigrants live in the United States today, more than four times the number in 1980, Black immigrants now account for 8.7% of the nation’s black population, nearly triple their share in 1980.

Black Immigrants Are A Growing Share Among Black Americans (% of US Black Population Foreign Born)

Year

% Foreign Born

1980

3.1%

1990

4.9

2000

6.7

2013

8.7

Source: Pew Reseach Center, April 2015

The report explores the demographic, economic and geographic characteristics, as well as population trends, of the black foreign-born population in the United States. Black immigrants are defined as those current U.S. residents born outside the U.S. who indicate that their race is black or is mixed-race black, regardless of Hispanic origin.

N.B. The terms “black immigrants” and “foreign-born blacks” are used interchangeably throughout the report and refer to persons who were both born outside the United States, Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories and whose race is black or is mixed-race black, regardless of Hispanic origin, in 2000 and later U.S. Census Bureau surveys.

The Black Immigrant Population Quadrupled Since 1980 (Total Foreign Born Black Population in the US; # in Thousands)

Year

Thousands of Foreign Born Blacks

1980

816

1990

1,447

2000

2,435

2013

3,793

Source: Pew Reseach Center, April 2015

Rapid growth in the black immigrant population is expected to continue. The Census Bureau projects that by 2060, 16.5% of U.S. blacks will be immigrants. In certain metropolitan areas, foreign-born blacks make up a significant share of the overall black population. For example, among the metropolitan areas with the largest black populations, 34% of blacks living in the Miami metro area are immigrants. In the New York metro area, that share is 28%. And in the Washington, D.C., area, it is 15%.

When compared with U.S.-born blacks, foreign-born blacks are older, with a median age of 42 years versus 29 years for U.S.-born blacks. Immigrant blacks ages 25 and older are also more likely than U.S.-born blacks to have a bachelor’s degree or more; less likely to live in poverty; and on average, have higher household incomes. They’re also much more likely to be married (48% among those ages 18 and older versus 28%) than U.S.-born blacks, which is likely tied to their higher median age.

Black immigrants share some similarities with the overall U.S. immigrant population in terms of their median ages and poverty rates. However, black immigrants are somewhat more likely to hold U.S. citizenship than all immigrants. Given that many black immigrants are from English-speaking Caribbean nations, they’re also more likely to be proficient in English compared with all immigrants (74% versus 50%).

Compared with the U.S. population overall, black immigrants have a slightly higher median age, and among those that are ages 25 and up, are slightly less likely to have a college degree. In addition, black immigrants are less likely than all Americans to own their homes, and overall they have lower household incomes.

Comparison Of Black Immigrants To Other Groups (2013 Data)

Compare

Foreign Born Blacks

US Born Blacks

All Immigrants

US Population

Total Population (thousands)

3,793

39,982

41,341

316,129

Median age (years)

42

29

43

37

Median HH income

$43,800,

33,500

48,000

52,000

College degree (adults 25+

26%

19

28

30

Poverty

20%

28

19

16

Home owners

40%

54

51

64

Currently married (Adults 18+)

48%

28

60

50

US citizen

54%

100

47

93

English proficiency (Ages 5+)

74%

99

50

92

Source: Pew Reseach Center, April 2015

Black immigrants are from many parts of the world, but half are from the Caribbean alone. Jamaica is the largest source country with about 682,000 black immigrants born there, accounting for 18% of the national total. Haiti follows with 586,000 black immigrants, making up 15% of the U.S. black immigrant population.

Many black immigrants are from Spanish-speaking countries. Among these, the Dominican Republic is the largest country of birth, accounting for 166,000 black immigrants. Mexico is also a source of black immigration with roughly 70,000 black immigrants. Some 41,000 are from Cuba, and 32,000 are Panamanian. Moreover, 11% of the foreign-born black population identifies as Hispanic.

Birth Countries Of Black Immigrants, 2013 Population (thousands) and % of Foreign Born Blacks in the US in 2013

Top 12 Birth Countries

Population in US

% of Foreign Born

Jamaica

682m

18%

Haiti

586

15

Nigeria

226

6

Trinidad & Tobago

192

5

Ethiopia

191

5

Dominican Republic

161

4

Ghana

147

4

Guyana

122

3

Kenya

107

3

Liberia

83

2

Somalia

79

2

Mexico

70

2

11 Others @ 1% each

386

11

Source: Pew Reseach Center, April 2015

 

Much of the recent growth in the size of the black immigrant population has been fueled by African immigration. Between 2000 and 2013, the number of black African immigrants living in the U.S. rose 137%, from 574,000 to 1.4 million. Africans now make up 36% of the total foreign-born black population, up from 24% in 2000 and just 7% in 1980.

Black immigrants have roots in other parts of the world as well. Some 5% of all black immigrants are from South America and 4% are from Central America; those from Europe make up 2% of the population and those from South and East Asia make up 1%.

Caribbean Top Birth Region For Foreign Born Blacks (Population Growth)

 

Population (Thousands)

Cohort

2000

2013

% Change Since 2000

Black immigrants

2,435

3,793

56%

Among black immigrants

   Caribbean

1,432

1,909

33%

   Africa

574

1,360

137%

   South America

141

184

30%

   Central America

117

137

17%

Source: Pew Reseach Center, April 2015

Some History of Black Migration to the U.S.

The United States has long had a significant black population. In the nation’s earliest censuses (at the end of the 18th century), blacks accounted for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population, with nearly all brought to the U.S. as slaves from Africa. Today, most of the nation’s 40 million U.S.-born blacks trace their roots to this population.

Due to the outlawing of the slave trade in 1808 as well as restrictions on non-European immigration, the flow of blacks arriving in the U.S. dropped to a trickle for more than a century and a half. Among the black immigrants who voluntarily migrated during this time, most were from the Caribbean.

The modern wave of black immigration to the U.S. began when U.S. immigration policy changed in the 1960s, becoming more open to a wider variety of migrants. Like other immigrants, foreign-born blacks benefited from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 that emphasized family reunification and skilled immigrant labor. 

The Refugee Act of 1980 loosened immigration restrictions by allowing more immigrants from conflict areas such as Ethiopia and Somalia to seek asylum in the U.S. Finally, the U.S. Immigration Act of 1990 sought to increase the number of immigrants from underrepresented nations, and although the act was initially intended to increase the flow of European immigrants, Africans have benefited from the program, as well.

For additional information, and access to the complete report, please visit here.

 

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