Demographic alarm overseas. Fewest births in years and mass emigration

The population of the United States increased by 1.8 million in 2025, which was one of the lowest increases in the country's history, according to estimates by the Census Bureau, which is responsible for the census. The inflow of immigrants decreased by more than half, to 1.2 million.

As noted by the New York Times, the estimated population growth rate is 0.5 percent. – was the lowest since the record year of 2021, when, in the face of the pandemic, the lowest increase was recorded – by 1.26 million – in the history of measurements. The current estimated population in the USA is 341.8 million people.

Immigration accounted for most of the population increase – 1.26 million – even though the inflow of immigrants fell by more than half compared to the previous year's record of 2.73 million.

Forecasts show that next year the growth rate will be even lower, because the published estimates concern the period between July 2024 and July 2025, so they include the last half-year of President Joe Biden's government. According to the Census Bureau, net migration in the next 12 months will be only 321,000, less than during the 2020-2021 pandemic.

According to the NYT, this is the result of deportation actions carried out by the Donald Trump administration and the radical tightening of immigration policy and border protection. In addition to deportations – according to the White House – over 2.2 million immigrants also left the country under “self-deportation”.

The consistently decreasing birth rate since 2008 also contributed to the reduction in population growth. During the period under review, this number exceeded the number of deaths by 518,000, which is also one of the lowest results recorded. In 2017, this number was more than twice as high (1.1 million), and in the first decade of the 21st century it ranged between 1.6-1.9 million.

The new estimates also show that demographic trends within the country have also changed. South Carolina became the state with the highest population growth, while the rate of growth in Florida, which previously led in this respect, slowed. For the first time in a decade, Midwestern states, including Ohio and Michigan, recorded population growth as a result of internal migration.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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