In 2022, an estimated 10.99 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States. This is an increase from about 3.5 million unauthorized immigrants who lived in the United States in 1990.

The estimated population of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. stands at around ** million people. Although the number has stabilized, the United States has seen a spike in migrant encounters in the last few years, with over * million cases registered by the U.S. Border Patrol in 2023. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, when there were over *** million cases registered. Due to its proximity and shared border, Mexico remains the leading country of origin for most undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with California and Texas being home to the majority.

Immigration and political division

Despite the majority of the population having immigrant roots, the topic of immigration in the U.S. remains one of the country’s longest-standing political debates. Support among Republicans for restrictive immigration has grown alongside Democratic support for open immigration. This growing divide has deepened the polarization between the two major political parties, stifling constructive dialogue and impeding meaningful reform efforts and as a result, has led to dissatisfaction from all sides. In addition to general immigration policy, feelings toward illegal immigration in the U.S. also vary widely. For some, it's seen as a significant threat to national security, cultural identity, and economic stability. This perspective often aligns with support for stringent measures like Trump's proposed border wall and increased enforcement efforts. On the other hand, there are those who are more sympathetic toward undocumented immigrants, as demonstrated by support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

This statistic shows the percentage of the illegal immigrant population in the United States that is eligible for either the DAPA or DACA programs in 2015. Fifty percent of California's illegal immigrant population was estimated to be eligible for DAPA or DACA in 2015.

In 2019, California had the highest population of unauthorized immigrants, at around 2.74 million. The overall figure for the United States was estimated to be around 11.05 million unauthorized immigrants.

With an estimated 745,000 eligible people, Mexico was the number one country of origin for people immediately eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in the United States in 2022. El Salvador trailed behind, but was the country with the second highest population immediately eligible for DACA, with 55,000 people.

In January 2022, it was estimated that about 1.85 million male illegal immigrants living in the United States were aged between 35 and 44 years old. In that same year, it was estimated that 1.52 million female illegal immigrants living in the U.S. were between 35 and 44 years old.

Human Trafficking Statistics: Human trafficking remains a pervasive global issue, with millions of individuals subjected to exploitation and abuse each year. According to recent statistics, an estimated 25 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking, with the majority being women and children. This lucrative criminal industry generates profits of over $150 billion annually, making it one of the most profitable illegal trades globally. As market research analysts, it's imperative to understand the scale and impact of human trafficking to develop effective strategies for prevention and intervention. Efforts to combat human trafficking have intensified in recent years, driven by increased awareness and advocacy. However, despite these efforts, the problem persists, with trafficking networks adapting to evade law enforcement and exploit vulnerabilities in communities. Through comprehensive data analysis and research, we can uncover trends, identify high-risk areas, and develop targeted interventions to disrupt trafficking networks and support survivors. In this context, understanding human trafficking statistics is crucial for informing policy decisions, resource allocation, and collaborative efforts to combat this grave violation of human rights. Editor’s Choice Every year, approximately 4.5 billion people become victims of forced sex trafficking. Two out of three immigrants become victims of human trafficking, regardless of their international travel method. There are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1000 people worldwide. An estimated 40.3 million individuals are trapped in modern-day slavery, with 24.9 million in forced labor and 15.4 million in forced marriage. Around 16.55 million reported human trafficking cases have occurred in the Asia Pacific region. Out of 40 million human trafficking victims worldwide, 25% are children. The highest proportion of forced labor trafficking cases occurs in domestic work, accounting for 30%. The illicit earnings from human trafficking amount to approximately USD 150 billion annually. The sex trafficking industry globally exceeds the size of the worldwide cocaine market. Only 0.4% of survivors of human trafficking cases are detected. Currently, there are 49.6 million people in modern slavery worldwide, with 35% being children. Sex trafficking is the most common type of trafficking in the U.S. In 2022, there were 88 million child sexual abuse material (CSAM) files reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) tip line. Child sex trafficking has been reported in all 50 U.S. states. Human trafficking is a USD 150 billion industry globally. It ranks as the second most profitable illegal industry in the United States. 25 million people worldwide are denied their fundamental right to freedom. 30% of global human trafficking victims are children. Women constitute 49% of all victims of global trafficking. In 2019, 62% of victims in the US were identified as sex trafficking victims. In the same year, US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grantees reported that 68% of clients served were victims of labor trafficking. Human traffickers in the US face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison. In France, 74% of exploited victims in 2018 were victims of sex trafficking. You May Also Like To Read Domestic Violence Statistics Sexual Assault Statistics Crime Statistics FBI Crime Statistics Referral Marketing Statistics Prison Statistics GDPR Statistics Piracy Statistics Notable Ransomware Statistics DDoS Statistics Divorce Statistics

Note: Explore this map with the activity The Underground Railroad.This map shows which states and territories in 1850 permitted the enslavement of people, and which did not. Slavery had been practiced in North America since well before the United States was founded in 1776, and by 1850 it was a key part of the agricultural economy of the southern states. Large cotton plantations operated on the labor of enslaved people, particularly Black Africans. Meanwhile, the northern United States had a more industrial economy, and by 1850 had mostly prohibited slavery for economic, political, and moral reasons. Though these states were considered “free” states, in many cases this meant that slavery wasn’t widespread. Even in states and territories where slavery was technically illegal, there were many loopholes that kept people enslaved and restricted free Black people.

In the years before the American Civil War, which began in 1861, the question of whether new states would allow slavery caused a lot of disagreement and tension between the North and South. The United States was carefully balanced to have as many "slave" states as "free" states, giving both sides an equal number of senators. The South was worried that if more free states were added, this balance would be upset, and the North would be able to pass legislation banning slavery in the United States. The North didn't want slavery to spread to new areas, both for moral reasons and because they didn’t think it was fair that enslaved people couldn’t vote but counted as part of the population when assigning congressional delegates. They argued that this gave the South an unfair advantage when voting for new laws. To try to keep the peace, a series of compromises, such as the Missouri Compromise of 1820 were proposed to determine what states and territories would or would not permit slavery.

Another issue that caused tension between abolitionists in the North and slave owners in the South was the ongoing trade of enslaved people. The United States government had banned foreign slave trade in 1800, but this did nothing to free the people who were already enslaved in the United States. States in the upper South, such as Virginia, now profited from selling enslaved people to new states in the Deep South.

To escape enslavement, some enslaved people used an informal network of routes, places, and people known as the Underground Railroad to travel in secret to the Northern United States and into Canada, where slavery was illegal. The Underground Railroad was not a literal underground railroad, but because escaping from slavery and helping enslaved people escape was illegal, the network operated in secret. The “conductors” were the people leading enslaved people to freedom and the “station masters,” those who hid enslaved people on the way north. According to some estimates, between 1810 and 1850, the Underground Railroad helped to guide 100,000 enslaved people to freedom.

This map was made through the process of digitization, or tracing historical maps using modern geographic information system (GIS) software. These maps don’t always line up perfectly with modern boundaries, for many reasons. Over time, natural landmarks, such as rivers, can shift their paths, and human landmarks, such as buildings and roads, can be abandoned and demolished. There are also differences in the accuracy of hand-drawn maps compared to computer-drawn maps.

The original maps are published in Harper’s Atlas of American History, and are available through the Library of Congress:

Slavery and Slave Trade 1830-1850

Routes of the Underground Railroad 1830-1865

Fox, Dixon Ryan. Harper's atlas of American history, selected from "The American nation series," with map studies, by Dixon Ryan Fox. [New York, London, Harper & Brothers, 1920] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/32005827/

As of 2023, 27.3 percent of California's population were born in a country other than the United States. New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Nevada rounded out the top five states with the largest population of foreign born residents in that year. For the country as a whole, 14.3 percent of residents were foreign born.

It is estimated that around *** percent of the global population uses illicit drugs. Use of illicit drugs varies by country and region as countries enact their own laws regarding such substances. Access to illicit drugs also differs by country and region and culture plays a role in how acceptable drug use is. Global drug use Worldwide, cannabis is by far the most used illicit drug, followed by opioids and amphetamines. It is estimated that around *** million people worldwide consume illegal drugs and **** million could be considered addicts or problem drug users. Drug addiction and abuse can negatively impact relationships, increases the risk of a number of diseases, and can ultimately lead to death. Opioid epidemic in the U.S. The United States has a long and complicated history with illegal drugs, once going so far as to fight a “War on Drugs”. Today, the U.S. is experiencing what has been called an opioid epidemic. This has been characterized by an increase in overdose deaths from prescription opioids, heroin and, more recently, illegally manufactured synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. In 2021, there were ****** opioid overdose deaths in the United States.

In 2021, it was estimated that around *** million people worldwide consumed illegal drugs such as cannabis, opioids, and cocaine. Furthermore, around **** million people were thought to be problem drug users or to have a drug use disorder. Although drug use varies from country to country, drug use remains a significant problem in many parts of the world. For example, the United States is currently experiencing an opioid epidemic, with drug overdose deaths reaching record levels over the past few years. What is the most used illicit drug worldwide? The most used illicit drug worldwide is cannabis, followed by opioids, and amphetamines. High estimates suggest that around *** percent of the global population consumed cannabis in the past year as of 2021. In comparison, around *** percent of people were thought to have consumed opioids in the past year, and less than *** percent were estimated to have used amphetamines. Drug use is generally more prevalent among men than women, but this distribution varies by drug. For example, around ** percent of cocaine users worldwide are men and ** percent are women, but women account for ** percent of amphetamine users. Cannabis uses In 2021, it was estimated that around *** million people worldwide consumed cannabis at least once in the past year. The highest number of past year cannabis users at that time was found in the Americas. This may be unsurprising since Canada and many U.S. states now allow the sale and use of recreational cannabis. The market for recreational cannabis is substantial in both countries. In the United States, sales of recreational cannabis reached **** billion U.S. dollars in 2021 and are expected to grow to some ** billion U.S. dollars by the year 2026. In 2020, there were thought to be around **** million adult consumers of cannabis in the United States, with this number expected to increase to just over *** million by 2025.

This statistic shows the estimated percentage of employed undocumented immigrants in the United States in 2016, distinguished by industry. In 2017, around 14.2 percent of agriculture workers were estimated to be undocumented immigrants.

Marijuana is by far the most used illicit drug in the United States, with over 61 million people using this drug in 2023. The second most used drug at that time was cocaine, followed by methamphetamine and ecstasy. The United States has had a complicated history with drugs, from fighting a “War on Drugs” starting in the 1970s, to seeing the legalisation of marijuana in many states, and experiencing an ongoing nationwide opioid overdose epidemic. Recreational marijuana Although marijuana is still illegal under federal law, 21 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. This legalization has opened a new and thriving market in these states. It is estimated that sales of legal cannabis will reach around 25 billion U.S. dollars by the year 2025. Although support for the legalization of marijuana has not always been strong, now around 68 percent of U.S. adults believe it should be made legal. The opioid epidemic The opioid epidemic describes a rise in overdose deaths in the U.S. due to prescription opioids, heroin, and illegally manufactured synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The epidemic stems from misleading information from pharmaceutical companies concerning the dangers of opioids such as oxycontin, overprescribing of opioids from physicians, and an influx of easily accessible heroin and highly potent synthetic opioids. In 2022, there were around 81,806 deaths from opioid overdose in the United States.

According to the latest estimates there were around ** million cocaine users worldwide with the highest number found in the Americas. Cocaine is made from the leaves of the coca plant and is an addictive stimulant that is usually snorted as a powder. Although it is illegal in most countries it is still commonly used recreationally. Cocaine worldwide It is estimated that up to *** percent of the global population has used cocaine in the past year. With so many users it is unsurprising that the illegal cocaine market is extremely lucrative. Worldwide illicit cultivation of cocaine covers some *** thousand hectares, with most of the world’s cocaine produced in South America. Cocaine in the United States According to the most recent figures around **** million people in the United States had used cocaine in the previous year. Moreover, around **** million Americans have used cocaine at some point in their lifetime. In 2021, there were around ****** deaths involving cocaine in the United States, a significant rise from previous years. However, it is important to note that a large portion of deaths from cocaine involve the use of other drugs, specifically opioids.

In 2024, around 54 percent of adults in the United States stated they considerd themselves pro-choice, meaning they would leave the decision to abort a pregnancy up to the pregnant woman. Pro-life supporters, which made up 41 percent at that time, oppose abortion altogether. Abortion in the United States Abortion and the question whether one is pro-life (and thus against abortion) or pro-choice (i.e. in favor of abortion) is a controversial topic in the United States and the subject of many heated discussions. Before the notorious “Roe vs. Wade” decision of the Supreme Court in 1973, abortion was illegal in most U.S. states and only legal under certain circumstances in others. In short, the case “Roe vs. Wade” was a milestone in granting women freedom over their own body, making abortion legal, as it ruled that a woman’s right to privacy included her unborn child, and set regulations for the availability of abortions. However, in June of 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, making it possible for states to choose to completely ban abortion. As a result, around half of U.S. states were expected to ban the procedure. Pro-life and Pro-choice Ever since this decision, there have been two main mindsets (with many variations) when it comes to abortion. One is the pro-life attitude, which deems abortion murder and considers life starting at conception. The other is the pro-choice movement, which focuses on the well-being of the mother and insists that the woman alone should decide whether she wants to keep a baby or not. Politically, pro-lifers are usually seen as conservative, often belonging to the Republican camp, while pro-choicers are usually regarded as liberals who lean towards the Democrats. Of course, exceptions are not uncommon.

In 2024, approximately 948,000 million people migrated to the United Kingdom, while 517,000 people migrated from the UK, resulting in a net migration figure of 431,000. There have consistently been more people migrating to the United Kingdom than leaving it since 1993 when the net migration figure was negative 1,000. Although migration from the European Union has declined since the Brexit vote of 2016, migration from non-EU countries accelerated rapidly from 2021 onwards. In the year to June 2023, 968,000 people from non-EU countries migrated to the UK, compared with 129,000 from EU member states. Immigration and the 2024 election Since late 2022, immigration, along with the economy and healthcare, has consistently been seen by UK voters as one of the top issues facing the country. Despite a pledge to deter irregular migration via small boats, and controversial plans to send asylum applicants to Rwanda while their claims are being processed, Rishi Sunak's Conservative government lost the trust of the public on this issue. On the eve of the last election, 20 percent of Britons thought the Labour Party would be the best party to handle immigration, compared with 13 percent who thought the Conservatives would handle it better. Sunak and the Conservatives went on to lose this election, suffering their worst defeat in modern elections. Historical context of migration The first humans who arrived in the British Isles, were followed by acts of conquest and settlement from Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Danes, and Normans. In the early modern period, there were also significant waves of migration from people fleeing religious or political persecution, such as the French Huguenots. More recently, large numbers of people also left Britain. Between 1820 and 1957, for example, around 4.5 million people migrated from Britain to America. After World War Two, immigration from Britain's colonies and former colonies was encouraged to meet labour demands. A key group that migrated from the Caribbean between the late 1940s and early 1970s became known as the Windrush generation, named after one of the ships that brought the arrivals to Britain.