South American Immigrants in the United States
Growing rapidly from a population of 90,000 in 1960 to nearly 3 million in 2014, South American immigrants now represent 7 percent of all foreign born in the United States. Family-based immigration is the primary pathway for all South American groups, ranging from 45 percent of Venezuelan immigrants to 97 percent of those from Guyana. Discover more key data with this Migration Information Source Spotlight article.
South American immigrants in the United States, though small in absolute numbers compared to those from Mexico and Central America, experienced the fastest growth since 1960 among all Latin American immigrant groups. The number of South American immigrants grew from 90,000 in 1960 to around 2.9 million in 2014, representing a 32-fold increase. In 1960, South Americans accounted for just 1 percent of the total foreign-born population in the United States; by 2014, their share increased to 7 percent of the nation’s 42.4 million immigrants. Immigration from South America grew most rapidly from 1960 to 1980, with the number of South Americans residing in the United States more than doubling each decade (increasing by 285 percent in the 1960s and 220 percent in the 1970s). Since then, the population has continued to rise, but at a slower pace.
South American Immigrant Population in the United States, 1980-2014
