LEGAL ADMISSIONS BY COUNTRY & DECADE, 1880-2020
Source: DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, Table 2 – Persons Obtaining LPR Status by Region & Country of Last Residence, FY 1820-2020. Legal admissions only (green cards issued); excludes undocumented arrivals, visa overstays, and temporary workers. Pre-1906 = country of origin; post-1906 = country of last residence.
TOTAL LEGAL ADMISSIONS BY REGION
ALL COUNTRIES
| Region | 1880s | 1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020* |
| 5,248,568 | 3,694,294 | 8,202,388 | 6,347,380 | 4,295,510 | 699,375 | 856,608 | 2,499,268 | 3,213,749 | 4,248,203 | 6,244,379 | 9,775,398 | 10,299,430 | 10,633,446 | 707,362 | |
| Europe | 4,638,684 | 3,576,411 | 7,572,569 | 4,985,411 | 2,560,340 | 444,404 | 472,524 | 1,404,973 | 1,133,443 | 826,327 | 669,694 | 1,349,219 | 1,349,609 | 906,816 | 70,284 |
| Americas | 529,845 | 38,756 | 277,882 | 1,070,539 | 1,591,278 | 230,319 | 328,435 | 921,644 | 1,674,185 | 1,903,636 | 2,694,504 | 5,137,142 | 4,441,529 | 4,433,094 | 275,790 |
| Asia | 71,152 | 61,304 | 300,441 | 269,736 | 126,740 | 19,292 | 34,532 | 135,844 | 358,563 | 1,406,526 | 2,391,356 | 2,859,899 | 3,470,835 | 4,062,777 | 260,706 |
| Africa | 768 | 432 | 6,326 | 8,867 | 6,362 | 2,120 | 6,720 | 13,016 | 23,780 | 71,405 | 141,987 | 346,410 | 759,734 | 1,037,674 | 76,789 |
* 2020 = one fiscal year only, not a full decade. COVID-19 shutdowns reduced admissions. FY2021-2024: 740K | 1.02M | 1.17M | 1.36M.
EUROPE – KEY COUNTRIES
| Country | 1880s | 1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020* |
| Europe Total | 4,638,684 | 3,576,411 | 7,572,569 | 4,985,411 | 2,560,340 | 444,404 | 472,524 | 1,404,973 | 1,133,443 | 826,327 | 669,694 | 1,349,219 | 1,349,609 | 906,816 | 70,284 |
| Germany | 1,445,181 | 579,072 | 328,722 | 174,227 | 386,634 | 117,736 | 119,403 | 576,905 | 209,616 | 77,142 | 85,752 | 92,207 | 122,373 | 62,527 | 4,220 |
| United Kingdom | 810,900 | 328,759 | 469,518 | 371,878 | 342,762 | 61,813 | 131,794 | 195,709 | 220,213 | 133,218 | 153,644 | 156,182 | 171,979 | 139,554 | 10,398 |
| Ireland | 674,061 | 405,710 | 344,940 | 166,445 | 201,644 | 28,195 | 15,701 | 47,189 | 37,788 | 11,461 | 22,210 | 65,384 | 15,642 | 17,090 | 1,531 |
| Norway + Sweden | 586,441 | 334,058 | 426,981 | 192,445 | 170,329 | 13,452 | 17,326 | 44,231 | 36,150 | 10,298 | 13,941 | 17,825 | 19,382 | 15,372 | 1,188 |
| Italy | 267,660 | 603,761 | 1,930,475 | 1,229,916 | 528,133 | 85,053 | 50,509 | 189,061 | 200,111 | 150,031 | 55,562 | 75,992 | 28,329 | 35,338 | 3,346 |
| Austria-Hungary | 314,787 | 534,059 | 2,001,376 | 1,154,727 | 60,891 | 13,902 | 13,677 | 113,015 | 27,590 | 20,387 | 20,437 | 27,529 | 33,929 | 30,227 | 1,144 |
| Russia / USSR | 173,081 | 413,382 | 1,501,301 | 1,106,998 | 61,604 | 2,473 | 605 | 453 | 2,329 | 28,132 | 33,311 | 433,427 | 167,152 | 91,813 | 8,213 |
| Poland | 42,910 | 107,793 | – | – | 224,420 | 26,460 | 7,774 | 6,498 | 55,773 | 33,699 | 63,483 | 172,249 | 117,921 | 55,081 | 3,222 |
| Greece | 1,807 | 12,732 | 145,402 | 198,108 | 60,774 | 10,599 | 8,605 | 45,153 | 74,173 | 102,370 | 37,729 | 25,403 | 16,841 | 13,733 | 1,001 |
| Portugal | 15,189 | 25,874 | 65,154 | 82,489 | 44,829 | 3,518 | 6,765 | 13,928 | 70,568 | 104,754 | 42,685 | 25,497 | 11,479 | 8,980 | 704 |
Austria-Hungary dissolved 1918. Russia = Russian Empire to 1920 / USSR 1920-1990 / 15 successor states 1991-1999 / Russia only from 2000. Poland inside Austria/Germany/Hungary/Russia 1899-1919.
AMERICAS – KEY COUNTRIES
| Country | 1880s | 1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020* |
| Americas Total | 529,845 | 38,756 | 277,882 | 1,070,539 | 1,591,278 | 230,319 | 328,435 | 921,644 | 1,674,185 | 1,903,636 | 2,694,504 | 5,137,142 | 4,441,529 | 4,433,094 | 275,790 |
| Mexico | 2,405 | 734 | 31,188 | 185,334 | 498,945 | 32,709 | 56,158 | 273,847 | 441,824 | 621,218 | 1,009,586 | 2,757,418 | 1,704,166 | 1,506,738 | 96,900 |
| Canada | 492,508 | 2,668 | 123,067 | 708,715 | 949,286 | 162,703 | 160,911 | 353,169 | 433,128 | 179,267 | 156,313 | 194,788 | 236,349 | 183,481 | 11,297 |
| Cuba | 20,134 | 23,669 | – | – | 12,769 | 10,641 | 25,976 | 73,221 | 202,030 | 256,497 | 132,552 | 159,037 | 271,742 | 479,818 | 15,609 |
| Dominican Republic | – | – | – | – | – | 1,165 | 4,802 | 10,219 | 83,552 | 139,249 | 221,552 | 359,818 | 291,492 | 503,978 | 29,723 |
| El Salvador | – | 7 | – | – | – | 712 | 4,885 | 5,094 | 14,405 | 29,428 | 137,418 | 273,017 | 251,237 | 198,974 | 15,385 |
| Jamaica | 355 | 223 | – | – | – | – | – | 7,397 | 62,218 | 130,226 | 193,874 | 177,143 | 172,523 | 199,928 | 12,516 |
| Haiti | 124 | 101 | – | – | – | 207 | 823 | 3,787 | 28,992 | 55,166 | 121,406 | 177,446 | 203,827 | 201,329 | 9,116 |
| Colombia | 1,210 | 607 | – | – | – | 1,278 | 3,454 | 15,567 | 68,371 | 71,265 | 105,494 | 137,985 | 236,570 | 186,833 | 11,375 |
| Guatemala | 3 | 9 | – | – | – | 632 | 1,303 | 4,197 | 14,357 | 23,837 | 58,847 | 126,043 | 156,992 | 115,704 | 7,369 |
Canada land arrivals not fully enumerated until 1908 (explains 1890s drop). Jamaica in ‘British West Indies’ through 1952. Honduras and Brazil also notable contributors 1980s-2010s.
ASIA – KEY COUNTRIES
| Country | 1880s | 1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020* |
| Asia Total | 71,152 | 61,304 | 300,441 | 269,736 | 126,740 | 19,292 | 34,532 | 135,844 | 358,563 | 1,406,526 | 2,391,356 | 2,859,899 | 3,470,835 | 4,062,777 | 260,706 |
| Philippines | 1 | 19 | 605 | – | – | 457 | 4,099 | 17,245 | 70,660 | 337,726 | 502,056 | 534,338 | 545,463 | 508,391 | 24,112 |
| China | 65,797 | 15,268 | 19,884 | 20,916 | 30,648 | 5,874 | 16,072 | 8,836 | 14,060 | 17,627 | 170,897 | 342,058 | 591,711 | 707,314 | 39,642 |
| India | 247 | 102 | 3,026 | 3,478 | 2,076 | 554 | 1,692 | 1,922 | 18,638 | 148,018 | 231,649 | 352,528 | 590,464 | 623,919 | 44,367 |
| Vietnam | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 290 | 2,949 | 121,716 | 200,632 | 275,379 | 289,616 | 327,997 | 29,334 |
| Korea | – | – | – | – | – | – | 83 | 4,845 | 27,048 | 241,192 | 322,708 | 179,770 | 209,758 | 201,059 | 16,021 |
| Japan | 1,583 | 13,998 | 139,712 | 77,125 | 42,057 | 2,683 | 1,557 | 41,968 | 40,956 | 52,812 | 44,150 | 66,582 | 84,552 | 59,145 | 4,153 |
| Iran | 18 | 26 | – | – | 208 | 198 | 1,144 | 3,195 | 9,059 | 33,763 | 98,141 | 76,899 | 76,755 | 83,378 | 7,915 |
Philippines near-zero pre-1934 (U.S. territory). Vietnam large flows post-1975 = refugee resettlement. 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act + 1924 National Origins Act suppressed Asian totals until 1965 Hart-Celler Act.
AFRICA – KEY COUNTRIES | KEY BENCHMARKS
| Country | 1880s | 1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020* |
| Africa Total | 768 | 432 | 6,326 | 8,867 | 6,362 | 2,120 | 6,720 | 13,016 | 23,780 | 71,405 | 141,987 | 346,410 | 759,734 | 1,037,674 | 76,789 |
| Ethiopia | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 28 | 302 | 804 | 2,588 | 12,927 | 40,097 | 87,207 | 135,665 | 6,468 |
| Egypt | 145 | 51 | – | – | 1,063 | 781 | 1,613 | 1,996 | 5,581 | 23,543 | 26,744 | 44,604 | 81,564 | 112,364 | 6,720 |
Africa fastest-growing region since 2000. Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Somalia are top contributors 2000s-2010s (captured in ‘Other Africa’ in Table 2).
85M+ legal admissions since 1880 | 10.3M peak decade (2000-2009) | 1,285,349 peak single year (1907) | ~47-49M foreign-born today (~14% of U.S. pop., near 1890 record of 14.8%) | ~18M from Mexico since 1965 – largest single-country wave in U.S. history
Flag for verification: 2010-2019 total derived from annual DHS flow reports; confirm vs. DHS Table 1 when published. Foreign-born population = Census/ACS estimate; confirm against latest CPS release.