Foreign born
People born outside their country of residence
Foreign-born (also non-native ) people are those born outside of their country of residence. Foreign born are often non-citizens, but many are naturalized citizens of the country in which they live, and others are citizens by descent, typically through a parent.
The term foreign born encompasses both immigrants and expatriates but is not synonymous with either. Foreign born may, like immigrants, have committed to living in a country permanently or, like expatriates, live abroad for a significant period with the plan to return to their birth-country eventually.
The status of foreign born — particularly their access to citizenship — differs globally. The large groups of foreign-born guest workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council states, for example, have no right to citizenship no matter the length of their residence. In Australia , Canada , the United Kingdom , and the United States , by contrast, foreign born are often citizens or in the process of becoming citizens. Certain countries have intermediary rules: in Germany and Japan it is often difficult but not impossible for the foreign born to become citizens.
Definition
The adjective foreign-born has two potential meanings:
"born in a country other than that in which one resides."[1]
"foreign by birth."[2]
The United Nations uses the first definition to estimate the international migrant stock, whenever this information is available. In countries lacking data on place of birth, the UN uses the country of citizenship instead.[3]
On the other hand, the United States Census Bureau defines foreign-born as "anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth", which includes persons who have become U.S. citizens through naturalization but excludes persons born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent or parents.
According to the UN: "Equating international migrants with foreign citizens when estimating the migrant stock has important shortcomings. In countries where citizenship is conferred on the basis of jus sanguinis , people who were born in the country of residence may be included in the number of international migrants even though they may have never lived abroad. Conversely, persons who were born abroad and who naturalized in their country of residence are excluded from the stock of international migrants when using citizenship as the criterion to define international migrants."[3]
Trends by country
Share of migrants in all countries. Data from 2015.
The percentage of foreign born in a country is the product mostly of immigration rates, but is also affected by emigration rates and birth and death rates in the destination country. For example, the United Kingdom and Ireland are destination countries for migrants from Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia, but are themselves source countries for immigration to other English-speaking countries .
The Holy See is unique in having 100% of its population foreign-born, while Cuba is unique in having 0% of its population foreign-born. The region with the highest rate is Oceania , with 21%, while Asia has less than 1%.
Countries with immigration rates above 25% tend to be wealthy countries with relatively open migration or labour laws, including Singapore , Australia , New Zealand , Switzerland and the Persian Gulf states.
The largest foreign-born population in the world is in the United States, which was home to 39 million foreign-born residents in 2012, or 12.6% of the population.[4]
Cities with largest foreign born populations
Rank
City
Country
Estimate source
Foreign-born population
Percentage
1
London
United Kingdom
ONS 2021
3,576,000[5]
40.6%
2
New York
United States
2022 ACS
3,133,149[6]
36.3%
3
Sydney
Australia
2016 Census
1,961,977[7]
45.4%
4
Melbourne
Australia
2016 Census
1,784,794[8]
41.3%
5
Lima
Peru
2023 United Nations Office of Peru
1,586,880[9]
17.5%
6
Toronto
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
1,431,380[10] [a]
51.9%
7
Los Angeles
United States
2022 ACS
1,395,920[11]
36.0%
8
Montréal
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
790,960[12] [a]
40.9%
9
Berlin
Germany
Berlin-Brandenburg office of statistics, 2021
789,076[citation needed ]
21%
10
Vienna
Austria
City of Vienna 2023
778,454[13]
31.3%
11
Madrid
Spain
2019 Spain Census
726,669[citation needed ]
22.2%
12
Auckland
New Zealand
Statistics New Zealand 2018
714,480[citation needed ]
41.6%
13
Brisbane
Australia
2016 Australian Census
682,132[14]
33.2%
14
Houston
United States
2022 ACS
664,495[15]
28.9%
15
Chicago
United States
2022 ACS
550,888[16]
20.2%
16
Calgary
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
457,665[17] [a]
35.4%
17
San Jose
United States
2022 ACS
410,543[18]
41.0%
18
Mississauga
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
406,455[19] [a]
57%
19
Brampton
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
383,695[20] [a]
59.1%
20
San Diego
United States
2022 ACS
344,419[21]
24.9%
21
Bogotá
Colombia
2019
352,431[citation needed ]
5%
22
Edmonton
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
348,295[22] [a]
34.9%
23
Hamburg
Germany
2021 ACS
341,759[citation needed ]
24.7%
24
Milan
Italy
Istat 2011
324,378[23]
10.7%
25
Vancouver
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
317,190[24] [a]
48.8%
26
Birmingham
United Kingdom
ONS 2021
305,963[citation needed ]
25.6%
27
Ottawa
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
288,835[25]
28.9%
28
San Francisco
United States
2022 ACS
288,169[26]
33.9%
29
Surrey
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
285,620[27] [a]
50.8%
30
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Statistics Netherlands 2019
277,431[citation needed ]
32.1%
31
Miami
United States
2022 ACS
256,805[28]
57.9%
32
Stockholm
Sweden
Statistics Sweden 2019
248,708[citation needed ]
25.5%
33
Lyon
France
France Unité urbaine de Lyon, INSEE 2020
235,969[citation needed ]
14%
34
Winnipeg
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
231,135[29] [a]
31.4%
35
Santiago
Chile
2017 Census
212,037[citation needed ]
10.2%
36
Marseille
France
Unité urbaine de Marseille-Aix, INSEE 2020
193,740[citation needed ]
12%
37
Rotterdam
Netherlands
Statistics Netherlands 2019
184,218[citation needed ]
28.6%
38
The Hague
Netherlands
Statistics Netherlands 2019
176,183[citation needed ]
32.8%
39
Manchester
United Kingdom
ONS 2021
173,208[citation needed ]
31.4%
40
Oslo
Norway
Statistics Norway 2019
171,868[citation needed ]
25.2%
41
Gothenburg
Sweden
Statistics Sweden 2019
159,342[citation needed ]
27.5%
42
Hamilton
Canada
Canada 2021 Census
158,190[30] [a]
28.2%
43
Copenhagen
Denmark
Statistics Denmark 2022
134,409[citation needed ]
26.3%
44
Malmö
Sweden
Statistics Sweden 2019
118,323[citation needed ]
34.4%
45
Helsinki
Finland
Statistics Finland 2021
102,016[citation needed ]
15.5%
Metropolitan and urban regions with the largest foreign-born populations
Data for the cities listed below is from numerous sources.
Rank[31]
Metropolitan region / urban area
Country
Foreign-born population
Sources of immigrants
1
New York metropolitan area
United States
5,892,000[32]
China , Dominican Republic , Jamaica , Ecuador , Guyana , Philippines , South Korea , Mexico , Peru , Bangladesh , Trinidad and Tobago , Haiti , Italy , Colombia , Poland , Russia , India , Pakistan , Brazil , Cuba , Nigeria , Ghana , Greece
2
London and the home counties
United Kingdom
5,623,701[5]
India , Poland , Bangladesh , Romania , Pakistan , Italy , Turkey , Nigeria , Ireland , Sri Lanka , Jamaica , China , France , Ghana , Philippines , Portugal , South Africa , Trinidad and Tobago , Guyana , USA , Greece
3
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
United States
5,541,000[32]
Mexico , Bangladesh , the Philippines , El Salvador , China , Vietnam , South Korea , Guatemala , Ethiopia , Armenia , Iran , India , Nigeria , Colombia
4
Greater Toronto Area
Canada
3,507,895[33]
India , China , Philippines , Pakistan , Hong Kong , Sri Lanka , Jamaica , Italy , Iran , United Kingdom , Guyana , Portugal , Vietnam , Poland , South Korea , United States , Trinidad and Tobago , Bangladesh , Iraq , Russia , Ukraine , Afghanistan , Egypt , Nigeria , Greece , Romania
5
Paris metropolitan area
France
3,041,148[34]
Algeria , Portugal , Morocco , Tunisia , Spain , Romania , Turkey , China , Italy , Mali , Sri Lanka , Vietnam , Democratic Republic of Congo , Senegal , Cameroon
6
Hong Kong (SAR)
China
2,793,450
China , Indonesia , Philippines , Macau , Thailand , United Kingdom , France , India , Pakistan , Japan , United States , Canada
7
San Francisco Bay Area
United States
2,634,270[35] [36]
Mexico , China , Philippines , Vietnam , India , El Salvador , Bangladesh , South Korea , Taiwan , Iran , Russia
8
Sydney Greater Capital City Statistical Area
Australia
2,071,872[37]
China , United Kingdom , India , New Zealand , Vietnam , Philippines , South Korea , Lebanon , Sri Lanka
9
Miami metropolitan area
United States
1,949,629
Cuba , Haiti , Colombia , Canada , Jamaica , Nicaragua , Venezuela , Dominican Republic , Honduras , Brazil , Panama , Peru , Bangladesh
10
Melbourne Greater Capital City Statistical Area
Australia
1,801,139[38]
India , China , Vietnam , New Zealand , England , Italy , Sri Lanka , Malaysia , Greece , Philippines , South Africa , Hong Kong
11
Chicago metropolitan area
United States
1,625,649
Mexico , India , Poland , Philippines , China , Palestine , Ukraine , Italy , Guatemala , Lithuania , Ghana , Nigeria , Jamaica , Cuba , Colombia , Trinidad and Tobago
12
Brussels Urban Area
Belgium
1,441,600
France , Romania , Morocco , Italy , Spain , Poland , Portugal , Bulgaria , Germany
13
Berlin Urban Area
Germany
1,231,500
Turkey , Russia , Poland , Syria , Italy , Bulgaria , Romania , Serbia , France , Vietnam , United Kingdom
14
Singapore (city only)
Singapore
1,305,011
Malaysia , China , India , Indonesia , Philippines , Bangladesh , Taiwan , Myanmar , South Korea
15
Montreal Urban Area
Canada
1,184,620
Algeria , Morocco , Bangladesh , Romania , France , Haiti , Lebanon , Philippines , Vietnam , Italy , China
16
Vancouver Lower Mainland
Canada
1,155,210
Hong Kong , China , India , South Korea , Taiwan , Philippines , Bangladesh , Vietnam , Japan , Iran , Pakistan , Poland , United Kingdom , Italy , United States
17
Moscow (city only)
Russia
1,128,035
Ukraine , Uzbekistan , Tajikistan , Azerbaijan , Moldova , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Armenia , Belarus
18
Houston metropolitan area
United States
1,113,875
Mexico , El Salvador , Vietnam , India , Nigeria , China , Honduras , Philippines , Myanmar , Guatemala , Colombia
19
Metropolitan Dubai
United Arab Emirates
1,056,000
India , Pakistan , Bangladesh , Philippines , Iran , Sri Lanka , United Kingdom
20
Riyadh (city only)
Saudi Arabia
1,054,000
Arab League , Pakistan , India , African Union , Bangladesh , Iran
21
Washington metropolitan area
United States
1,017,432
El Salvador , China , Ethiopia , Mexico , South Korea , Nigeria , Philippines , Vietnam , Ghana , Bolivia
22
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
United States
1,016,221
Mexico , India , Vietnam , El Salvador , China , South Korea , Bangladesh , Honduras , Philippines
23
Frankfurt Urban Area
Germany
998,400
Turkey , Italy , Croatia , Poland , Romania , Bulgaria , Serbia , Greece , Russia , North Macedonia
24
Tokyo Urban Area
Japan
978,172
China , South Korea , Philippines , Vietnam , United States , Brazil , Nepal , Taiwan , Peru , Thailand
Birmingham Urban Area
United Kingdom
902,438
India , Pakistan , Jamaica , Trinidad and Tobago , Poland , Bangladesh , Romania , China , Italy , Albania , Nigeria , Somalia
25
Barcelona Urban Area
Spain
862,200
Italy , Pakistan , China , Ecuador , Bolivia , Morocco , France
26
Atlanta metropolitan area
United States
861,208
Mexico , India , Jamaica , South Korea , Bangladesh , China , Vietnam , Nigeria , Guatemala , El Salvador , Colombia
27
Brisbane Greater Capital City Statistical Area
Australia
731,198
New Zealand , England , China , India , South Africa , Philippines , Vietnam , South Korea , Taiwan , Scotland , Malaysia
28
Auckland Urban Area
New Zealand
662,298
United Kingdom , China , India , Fiji , Samoa , Philippines , South Korea , Sri Lanka
29
Stockholm County
Sweden
660,302[39]
Finland , Iraq , Poland , Syria , Iran , Turkey , Eritrea , Afghanistan
30
Muscat
Oman
571,000
Philippines , Pakistan , Indonesia , Sri Lanka , Bangladesh
31
Milan Urban Area
Italy
475,000
Egypt , Philippines , China , Romania , Sri Lanka
32
Greater Calgary
Canada
460,790
India , Pakistan , Philippines , United States , Nigeria , China , Lebanon , Vietnam , United Kingdom , Bangladesh , South Korea , Iran , Hong Kong , Ethiopia , Germany , European Union
33
Greater Edmonton
Canada
363,825
China , Bangladesh , Pakistan , India , Somalia , Hong Kong , Philippines , Lebanon
34
Hamburg Metropolitan Region
Germany
332,473[40]
Turkey , Poland , Portugal , Romania , Russia , Italy , Spain , Ghana
35
Greater Manchester
United Kingdom
302,000
Pakistan , China , Ireland , Bangladesh , Poland , Nigeria , India , Somalia , Jamaica , Iraq
36
Ottawa
Canada
266,910
Italy , Bangladesh , Pakistan , India
37
Helsinki
Finland
213,290[41]
Russia , Estonia , Somalia , Iraq , Sweden , China , Yugoslavia , Vietnam , India , Turkey
38
Winnipeg
Canada
207,915
China , United Kingdom , Lebanon , United States , India , Philippines , Vietnam , Pakistan , Syria , Haiti , Iran , Somalia , Egypt , Italy , Iraq , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Germany , Jamaica , Russia , Bangladesh , Hong Kong
39
Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region
Germany
132,684
Turkey , Serbia , Ukraine , Greece , Russia , Italy , Spain
40
Geneva
Switzerland
77,602
France , Spain , Germany
See also
Notes
^ a b c d e f g h i j Statistic includes all persons classified as 'Immigrants' and 'Non-permanent residents' on census .Statistics Canada defines 'Immigrants' as "persons who are, or who have ever been, landed immigrants or permanent residents. Such persons have been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this category." Statistics Canada defines 'Non-permanent residents' as "persons from another country with a usual place of residence in Canada and who have a work or study permit or who have claimed refugee status (asylum claimants). Family members living with work or study permit holders are also included, unless these family members are already Canadian citizens, landed immigrants or permanent residents."
References
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^ Foreign-born , Merriam-Webster
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^ "DP02 Selected Social Characteristics in the United States" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 15, 2023 .
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^ "Statistiche Istat" .
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^ "DP02 Selected Social Characteristics in the United States" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 15, 2023 .
^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Surrey, City (CY) British Columbia [Census subdivision]" . www12.statcan.gc.ca . Retrieved 2022-12-05 .
^ "DP02 Selected Social Characteristics in the United States" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 15, 2023 .
^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Winnipeg, City (CY) Manitoba [Census subdivision]" . www12.statcan.gc.ca . Retrieved 2022-12-05 .
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External links