Published: November 3, 2026
Key Facts
- Nigeria is the largest sub-Saharan African diaspora community in the United States, with 533,000 people born in Nigeria living in the U.S. in 2024. That is 21.2 percent of all sub-Saharan African immigrants in the country.
- The top 10 communities together count 1,792,000 people. That is 71.2 percent of the 2,516,000 sub-Saharan African immigrants in the United States in 2024.
- The top five communities alone account for 55.6 percent of the total. Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa dominate the ranking.
- Western Africa is the largest region of origin, with 1,147,000 people, or 45.6 percent of the total. Eastern Africa follows with 860,000 people, or 34.2 percent.
- Nigerians are also the fastest growing large group. Their numbers grew by 143 percent, or 313,000 people, between 2010 and 2024.
Nigeria alone is about as large as Ethiopia and Ghana combined. Ethiopia counts 304,000 people and Ghana counts 223,000 people, a combined 527,000, against Nigeria at 533,000. Nigeria is also about 10 times the size of Congo, the 10th ranked community at 53,000 people.
| Rank | Community (country of birth) | People in the U.S. (2024) | Share of sub-Saharan immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 533,000 | 21.2% |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 304,000 | 12.1% |
| 3 | Ghana | 223,000 | 8.9% |
| 4 | Kenya | 182,000 | 7.2% |
| 5 | South Africa | 156,000 | 6.2% |
| 6 | Somalia | 98,000 | 3.9% |
| 7 | Cameroon | 98,000 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Liberia | 84,000 | 3.3% |
| 9 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 61,000 | 2.4% |
| 10 | Congo | 53,000 | 2.1% |
The next communities just miss the top 10. Cabo Verde and Sierra Leone each count 48,000 people, followed by Senegal at 42,000 people. Somalia and Cameroon tie on value at 98,000 people each, because both are printed as 98,000 people after rounding. They sit 6th and 7th in list order.
1. Nigeria: 533,000 people
Nigeria leads by a wide margin. Its 533,000 people are 1.75 times the Ethiopian figure of 304,000. Nigeria also accounts for 46.5 percent of all Western African immigrants in the United States. About 57 percent of Nigerian immigrants arrived since 2010, and 59 percent had become naturalized U.S. citizens by 2024. Among Nigerian immigrants aged 25 and older, 67 percent hold at least a bachelor's degree, the highest rate among the large groups in this ranking. Their labor force participation rate is 79 percent.
2. Ethiopia: 304,000 people
Ethiopia is the largest Eastern African community in the United States and the second largest overall. Its 304,000 people make up 12.1 percent of sub-Saharan African immigrants. Ethiopians began arriving in large numbers after 1974, and the community is now well established in the Washington DC area, one of the top metro destinations for sub-Saharan African immigrants. Ethiopia trails Kenya plus South Africa combined, at 338,000 people, but it leads each of them on its own.
3. Ghana: 223,000 people
Ghana ranks third with 223,000 people, or 8.9 percent of the total. Ghanaians have one of the lowest poverty rates among the large groups, at 11 percent in 2024, against a sub-Saharan average of 15 percent. Their labor force participation rate is 79 percent, matching Nigeria and Liberia. Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya are three of the five countries that together account for more than half of all sub-Saharan African immigrants in the United States.
4. Kenya: 182,000 people
Kenya counts 182,000 people, or 7.2 percent of the total. Kenyans grew by 105 percent between 2010 and 2024, one of the fastest growth rates among large groups. Kenyans also report the highest labor force participation rate in this ranking, at 81 percent. Their median household income in 2024 was 92,200 dollars, the second highest among the groups with published figures here, after South Africa. About 52 percent of Kenyan immigrants aged 25 and older hold at least a bachelor's degree.
5. South Africa: 156,000 people
South Africa is the only Southern African community in the top 10, with 156,000 people, or 6.2 percent of the total. South Africans report the highest median household income in this ranking, at 120,800 dollars in 2024. About 58 percent of South African immigrants aged 25 and older hold at least a bachelor's degree, and 56 percent speak only English at home. South Africa's presence in the top five shows that the ranking is not only a West and East African story.
6. Somalia: 98,000 people
Somalia ties Cameroon on value at 98,000 people, or 3.9 percent of the total each. Somalis have the highest naturalization rate in this ranking, at 83 percent in 2024, against a sub-Saharan average of about 60 percent. That reflects a longer settled refugee community in places such as Minneapolis, one of the top metro destinations. Somalis also face the hardest economic conditions in this ranking, with a median household income of 46,800 dollars and a poverty rate of 25 percent in 2024.
7. Cameroon: 98,000 people
Cameroon also counts 98,000 people, or 3.9 percent of the total, tying Somalia for value. Cameroonians grew by 142 percent between 2010 and 2024, nearly matching Nigeria's 143 percent growth. About 65 percent of Cameroonian immigrants arrived since 2010, the highest recent arrival share noted in this ranking. Their median household income in 2024 was 91,400 dollars, and 54 percent of Cameroonian immigrants aged 25 and older hold at least a bachelor's degree.
8. Liberia: 84,000 people
Liberia ranks 8th with 84,000 people, or 3.3 percent of the total. Liberians have a distinctive language profile: 68 percent speak only English at home, the highest rate noted in this ranking, reflecting English as an official language in Liberia. Their labor force participation rate is 79 percent, matching Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Liberia is the fourth Western African community in the top 10, after Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon.
9. Democratic Republic of the Congo: 61,000 people
The Democratic Republic of the Congo counts 61,000 people, or 2.4 percent of the total. Congolese migration to the United States grew in part through refugee resettlement after the Refugee Act of 1980, which increased admissions for people fleeing conflict, including from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The community sits just ahead of its neighbor Congo, at 53,000 people, a gap of only 8,000 people on rounded figures.
10. Congo: 53,000 people
Congo, also called the Republic of the Congo, closes the top 10 with 53,000 people, or 2.1 percent of the total. It is about one tenth the size of Nigeria: Nigeria at 533,000 people is about 10 times the Congolese figure. Congo holds its place ahead of Cabo Verde and Sierra Leone, which each count 48,000 people and just miss the ranking.
Where these communities live
More than one third of sub-Saharan African immigrants live in Texas, Maryland, New York, or California, based on 2019 to 2023 data. The top counties are Harris County in Texas, Prince George's County and Montgomery County in Maryland, Bronx County in New York, and Hennepin County in Minnesota. The top metro areas are Washington DC, New York, Dallas, Minneapolis, and Atlanta. Together, those five metro areas hold slightly more than one third of sub-Saharan African immigrants.
Why Egypt is not in this ranking
Egypt is the most common question this ranking will raise, and the answer is scope, not size. The Migration Policy Institute counts Egypt in its separate Middle Eastern and North African group, not in its sub-Saharan African table. A separate pooled figure from the George Mason University Institute for Immigration Research puts Egyptian immigrants at 226,800 people on 2019 to 2023 data. On a whole Africa list, that figure would sit third, between Ethiopia and Ghana. It is not mixed into the 2024 table here, because mixing a pooled 2019 to 2023 figure with single year 2024 figures would break the ranking. Readers who want a whole continent list should read this ranking as sub-Saharan Africa only, exactly as titled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who counts as part of a diaspora community in this ranking?
This ranking counts people who were born in a sub-Saharan African country and now live in the United States, using the Census Bureau definition of foreign born. A person counts as foreign born if they had no U.S. citizenship at birth. Naturalized citizens count. U.S. born children of immigrants do not count here, even though they are part of the wider diaspora.
Why is Egypt not ranked here?
Egypt is counted by the Migration Policy Institute in its Middle Eastern and North African group, not in its sub-Saharan African table. The table used here therefore excludes Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan. A pooled 2019 to 2023 figure puts Egyptian immigrants at 226,800 people, which would rank third on a whole Africa list, but it is not mixed into this single year 2024 ranking.
How many sub-Saharan African immigrants live in the United States in total?
The total is 2,516,000 people in 2024, which the Migration Policy Institute rounds to 2.5 million. That is 5 percent of all 50.2 million immigrants in the United States, and more than triple the number present in 2000. The top 10 communities in this ranking account for 1,792,000 people, or 71.2 percent of that total.
Which U.S. states and cities have the largest African communities?
More than one third of sub-Saharan African immigrants live in Texas, Maryland, New York, or California. The leading metro areas are Washington DC, New York, Dallas, Minneapolis, and Atlanta. Harris County in Texas and Prince George's County in Maryland are among the leading counties for these communities.
Is this ranking based on ancestry or on country of birth?
It is based on country of birth, not ancestry. Ancestry counts are larger, because they include U.S. born children and grandchildren. The Migration Policy Institute puts the wider sub-Saharan African diaspora, meaning people born in sub-Saharan Africa plus people who report sub-Saharan African ancestry, at close to 4.8 million people on 2023 data. That wider figure is useful context, but it is not the ranking metric used here.
Data Sources
- Migration Policy Institute, Allison Rutland and Jeanne Batalova, "Sub-Saharan African Immigrants in the United States", October 16, 2025, Table 1, tabulation of the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 American Community Survey: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/journal/spotlight/sub-saharan-african-immigrants-united-states
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey foreign born data tables: https://www.census.gov/topics/population/foreign-born/data/tables/acs-tables.html
- George Mason University Institute for Immigration Research, "Immigrants from Egypt in the United States", American Community Survey 2019 to 2023 pooled data, Egyptian immigrants 226,800: Egyptian immigrants fact sheet
- PwC Global Economic Policy report, as reported by Nairametrics, April 21, 2025, 2022 figures for cross-checking: https://nairametrics.com/2025/04/21/tighter-u-s-immigration-policies-could-affect-448400-nigerians-pwc-report/
- Related African Exponent coverage: Top 10 Largest African Diasporas in the World in 2026 and Top 10 African Countries by Diaspora Remittances in 2026
Methodology
This ranking uses one consistent definition for every row: the number of people born in each country who lived in the United States in 2024, as tabulated by the Migration Policy Institute from the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 American Community Survey. Foreign born means a person had no U.S. citizenship at birth. The figures are rounded to the nearest thousand in the source table, so small gaps, such as the 6,000 gap between Nigeria and Ethiopia plus Ghana combined, should be read as approximate. Somalia and Cameroon tie on value at 98,000 people after rounding, and they sit 6th and 7th in list order. The ranking covers the named countries in the source table only. Aggregate "Other" categories in that table are not single countries and are not ranked. Sub-Saharan Africa follows the source definition: all African countries except Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. North African countries are therefore excluded, and the Egyptian pooled figure cited above is disclosed separately and never mixed into the table. A second source check compared the order and scale of the top countries against 2022 PwC figures and pooled 2020 to 2024 figures for Black identifying immigrants. Both checks confirmed the same order for Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Kenya, with differences explained by vintage and definition, not by error. All derived claims in this article were recomputed from the final table values before publication.
