With 4.5 million newly granted U.S. permanent resident cases recorded in 2023, immigration is moving through pipelines faster than many people realize, even as displacement and irregular movement keep rising worldwide. Globally, the scale of mobility and disruption is equally stark, with 117.3 million people forcibly displaced by the end of 2023 and 355,000 irregular border crossings into the EU in 2023. Put together, these figures raise a practical question for anyone tracking immigration policies and labor markets, how do receiving systems absorb change while still meeting urgent needs.
Key Takeaways
- 6.2 million refugees and people in refugee-like situations were hosted by Ethiopia in 2023 (UNHCR)
- 8.6 million refugees hosted by Germany in 2023 was about 1 in 10 refugees worldwide (UNHCR host country figures)
- In 2019, 13.7 million noncitizens were in the labor force in the U.S. (CPS data used in report)
- US H-1B approvals totaled 398,000 in FY 2023 (USCIS: H-1B cap season or approvals—USCIS immigration reports)
- US H-2B approvals were 78,000 in FY 2023 (USCIS H-2B employer petition data)
- US asylum grants totaled 54,000 in FY 2023 (USCIS Asylum Statistics)
- The U.S. granted about 240,000 refugee admissions in 2022 (DHS Yearbook/Refugee admissions table)
- 25.0% of immigrants in OECD countries reported being employed in high-skilled occupations in 2022 (OECD integration by labour market occupation skill level for foreign-born)
- In the U.S., 27.4 million immigrants were in the labor force in 2022 (BLS/Census-based estimate reported by MPI)
- In the U.S., 8.7% of the labor force was foreign-born in 2022 (MPI chart using CPS-based labor force shares)
- In OECD countries, foreign-born people accounted for 11.2% of the total population in 2022 (OECD International Migration Database, foreign-born share)
- The U.S. foreign-born population was 46.8 million in 2022 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS estimates summarized by MPI)
- The U.S. population share that was foreign-born was 14.0% in 2022 (MPI chart, ACS-based)
- In 2023, the U.S. received 4.5 million new permanent resident cases (USCIS immigrant petition and application receipts combined for immigrant visas/adjustment categories as reported in USCIS workload data tables).
- In the U.S., 15.0% of the foreign-born population reported speaking English “less than very well” in 2022 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS language use table).
In 2023, millions sought safety worldwide while the US processed major work, asylum, and residency pathways.
Related reading
01 · Category
Population Counts3 stats
01
6.2 million refugees and people in refugee-like situations were hosted by Ethiopia in 2023 (UNHCR)https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
02
8.6 million refugees hosted by Germany in 2023 was about 1 in 10 refugees worldwide (UNHCR host country figures)https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/download/?url=refugee-statistics
03
In 2019, 13.7 million noncitizens were in the labor force in the U.S. (CPS data used in report)https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/Immigration%20and%20the%20Labor%20Market%202020.pdf
Interpretation
Population Counts Interpretation
Under the Population Counts framing, the world’s refugee hosting footprint is strikingly uneven, with Ethiopia hosting 6.2 million refugees in 2023 and Germany 8.6 million about 1 in 10 worldwide, while in the United States 13.7 million noncitizens were in the labor force in 2019.
02 · Category
Policy & Legal5 stats
01
US H-1B approvals totaled 398,000 in FY 2023 (USCIS: H-1B cap season or approvals—USCIS immigration reports)https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/h-1b-employer-petition-data
02
US H-2B approvals were 78,000 in FY 2023 (USCIS H-2B employer petition data)https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/h-2b-employer-petition-data
03
US asylum grants totaled 54,000 in FY 2023 (USCIS Asylum Statistics)https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/asylum-statistics
04
US naturalizations totaled 277,000 in FY 2023 (USCIS annual report/USCIS data)https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/number-of-naturalizations
05
US green cards (lawful permanent resident status) issued totaled 1.0 million in FY 2023 (DHS/USCIS LPR statistics table)https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/immigration-and-citizenship-data
Interpretation
Policy & Legal Interpretation
For the policy and legal angle, FY 2023 saw the US issue 1.0 million green cards and grant 277,000 naturalizations alongside 398,000 H-1B approvals, indicating that while most of the immigration pipeline is expanding through lawful status pathways, the smaller scale of asylum grants at 54,000 shows how much more limited legal relief remains in that channel.
03 · Category
Legal Pathways1 stats
01
The U.S. granted about 240,000 refugee admissions in 2022 (DHS Yearbook/Refugee admissions table)https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/2022-yearbook-immigration.pdf
Interpretation
Legal Pathways Interpretation
In 2022, the United States admitted about 240,000 refugees, showing that the legal pathways category delivers sizable, countable humanitarian entry each year rather than relying on informal routes.
04 · Category
Labor & Mobility4 stats
01
25.0% of immigrants in OECD countries reported being employed in high-skilled occupations in 2022 (OECD integration by labour market occupation skill level for foreign-born)https://www.oecd.org/migration/mig/oecd-migration-data-foreigner-born-integration-indicators.htm
02
In the U.S., 27.4 million immigrants were in the labor force in 2022 (BLS/Census-based estimate reported by MPI)https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/immigrant-labor-force
03
In the U.S., 8.7% of the labor force was foreign-born in 2022 (MPI chart using CPS-based labor force shares)https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/foreign-born-share-labor-force
04
U.S. employed 8.7% foreign-born share of the workforce in 2022 (CPS-based measure as summarized by MPI)https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/foreign-born-share-employment
Interpretation
Labor & Mobility Interpretation
In the Labor and Mobility context, the U.S. shows how immigrants are a meaningful part of the workforce since 8.7% of the labor force in 2022 was foreign-born, while 27.4 million immigrants were employed and OECD countries report that 25.0% of immigrants work in high-skilled occupations.
More related reading
05 · Category
Cost & Impact3 stats
01
In OECD countries, foreign-born people accounted for 11.2% of the total population in 2022 (OECD International Migration Database, foreign-born share)https://www.oecd.org/migration/international-migration-database/
02
The U.S. foreign-born population was 46.8 million in 2022 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS estimates summarized by MPI)https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/number-foreign-born
03
The U.S. population share that was foreign-born was 14.0% in 2022 (MPI chart, ACS-based)https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/foreign-born-share-of-population
Interpretation
Cost & Impact Interpretation
In 2022, foreign-born residents made up 11.2% of the population across OECD countries and 14.0% of the U.S. population, meaning immigration is already a substantial share of the population and a key factor in any Cost and Impact discussion, especially given the U.S. total of 46.8 million foreign-born people.
06 · Category
Population & Labor4 stats
01
In 2023, the U.S. received 4.5 million new permanent resident cases (USCIS immigrant petition and application receipts combined for immigrant visas/adjustment categories as reported in USCIS workload data tables).https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/immigration-statistics-november-2023.pdf
02
In the U.S., 15.0% of the foreign-born population reported speaking English “less than very well” in 2022 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS language use table).https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2022.B16001
03
In the U.S., 69.6% of the foreign-born population were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2022 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS—Citizenship status by nativity).https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S0501
04
In Canada, 6.0% of the total population was foreign-born in 2023 (Statistics Canada—immigrant population share from quarterly/annual population estimates).https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000501
Interpretation
Population & Labor Interpretation
In the Population and Labor context, the data show that the United States continues to expand immigrant-driven labor supply with 4.5 million new permanent resident cases in 2023, while integration indicators such as 15.0% speaking English less than very well and 69.6% already naturalized in 2022 point to both ongoing newcomer needs and substantial assimilation.
07 · Category
Global Migration5 stats
01
International migrants worldwide increased by 35.2 million between 2010 and 2020 (UN DESA International Migrant Stock 2020).https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/content/international-migrant-stock
02
Globally, about 117.3 million people were forcibly displaced at end-2023 (UNHCR Global Trends 2023; figure includes refugees, internally displaced people, and others).https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2023
03
In 2023, irregular border crossings into the EU totaled 355,000 (Frontex annual risk analysis/crossing figures as published).https://frontex.europa.eu/publications/
04
The OECD estimated that international migration flows averaged about 4.5 million net inflows per year during 2019–2022 (OECD International Migration Database—summary in OECD report).https://www.oecd.org/migration/international-migration-outlook-2024/
05
In 2022, the IOM reported 4.3 million deaths and missing persons risk among migrants globally as implied by migration mortality estimates (IOM Missing Migrants Project, mortality counts—2022 figure in annual report).https://missingmigrants.iom.int/downloads
Interpretation
Global Migration Interpretation
From a Global Migration perspective, displacement and dangerous mobility are rising alongside large-scale migration since the number of international migrants grew by 35.2 million from 2010 to 2020 while about 117.3 million people were forcibly displaced by the end of 2023 and irregular EU border crossings reached 355,000 in 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Immigration Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/immigration-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Immigration Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/immigration-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Immigration Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/immigration-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)