How has the number of foreign-born naturalized U.S. citizens changed over the past decade?
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Executive summary
Over the past decade the United States has admitted roughly 7.9 million people as new naturalized citizens while the share of the foreign‑born who are naturalized has remained near about one‑half, even as annual naturalization flows rose and fell around pandemic‑era disruptions and administrative backlogs [1] [2]. Recent years saw naturalization production recover from COVID limits, a modest dip in 2023, a large pending caseload by early 2025, and broader demographic shifts in the foreign‑born population that affect the proportion who are citizens [1] [3] [4].
1. A decade of scale: millions more became citizens
USCIS reports that during the last decade more than 7.9 million foreign‑born residents were naturalized, an aggregate that captures the substantial cumulative rise in the naturalized population even as annual totals fluctuate from year to year [1]. That decade‑long total shows that naturalization has continued to be a major channel for immigrant incorporation into U.S. civic life, adding millions to the citizenry despite temporary slowdowns tied to the pandemic and policy shifts [1].
2. Year‑to‑year swings: recovery, then a 2023 decline
Annual flows climbed back toward or above pre‑pandemic production levels after FY2021 as USCIS resumed normal operations, but naturalizations fell to 878,460 in 2023 — a 9.4 percent decline from 969,380 the prior year — illustrating meaningful year‑to‑year variation even within the broader decade increase [1] [3]. USCIS also flagged that FY2024 production continued to surpass pre‑pandemic volumes, signaling operational recovery even as single‑year totals ebb and flow [1].
3. The stock picture: about half of the foreign‑born are citizens
The stock of naturalized citizens has risen so that roughly one‑half of the foreign‑born population are now U.S. citizens — CRS and DHS analyses place the number of naturalized residents near 25–26 million in 2023–2024, comprising roughly 51–52 percent of the foreign‑born at that time [2] [4]. That proportion reverses a long mid‑century decline from a 1950 peak and shows naturalization’s continued role in reshaping the composition of the foreign‑born population [2].
4. Backlogs, eligibility pools, and processing times shape trends
Operational factors matter: as of March 31, 2025 about 536,000 naturalization applications were pending with USCIS, and DHS estimates millions of lawful permanent residents are eligible to naturalize but have not applied — for example OHSS finds about 8.7 million LPRs meet age and residence requirements — meaning future naturalization flows depend on backlog clearance and application behavior [4] [5]. Processing times rose during the pandemic and then fell back to about 5.5 months by January 2025, a recovery that correlates with stronger production levels [6].
5. Geography, origin and policy context that matter
The origins of new citizens continue to shift: from FY2014–FY2023 the largest shares of naturalizations came from Asia and North America (including Mexico and Caribbean/Central America), with Africa and Europe smaller contributors — such geographic composition affects timing and eligibility because different arrival cohorts have different eligibility lags and application rates [4]. Policy signals also matter: the Department of Justice’s June 2025 memo prioritizing denaturalization enforcement adds a legal and political overlay that could influence naturalization dynamics and immigrant perceptions, though its practical impact on net naturalized totals remains to be measured [4] [7].
6. Big picture: growth with nuance and near‑term uncertainty
In short, the number of foreign‑born naturalized U.S. citizens rose substantially over the past decade (more than 7.9 million newly naturalized), and today roughly half of the foreign‑born population are citizens — but annual totals have fluctuated with pandemic disruptions, administrative capacity, and shifting migration flows, and a large pool of eligible LPRs plus significant pending applications mean naturalization counts could rise or fall depending on policy, processing capacity, and applicant behavior [1] [3] [5] [4]. Where commentators emphasize either “record immigrant numbers” or “backlogs and enforcement,” the data show both enduring growth in the stock of naturalized citizens and meaningful short‑term variability driven by administration and demographic change [8] [9].