Black migration has accelerated in the past two decades, creating a growing population of immigrant Blacks who contribute to our society as workers, students, and homeowners.
In 2019, approximately 4.6 million Black Americans were born in another country, up from 3% in 1980. Pew Research recently reported that one in ten Black people living in the United States are immigrants.
Africans and Caribbeans make up the majority of Black immigrants. In 2019, these two areas accounted for 88% of all Black foreign-born people in the United States.
The Pew report notes that while Black immigrants are most likely to come from the Caribbean, African immigrants have the fastest growth rate. Just under half of the foreign-born Black population were born in the Caribbean (46%). Jamaica and Haiti being the two largest origin countries, accounting for 16% and 15% of Black immigrants, respectively.
However, Black African immigrants increased 246% between 2000 and 2019, from roughly 600,000 to 2.0 million. Africans now constitute 42% of all foreign-born Blacks, a substantial increase from 23% in 2000.
Immigration is a Black issue.
