Over 13 million people legally migrated from Northern and Western Europe to the United States between 1820 and 19257. The majority of these migrants came from the British Isles, with over 4.6 million migrants coming from the island of Ireland, and over 4.5 million from Great Britain. After this there were just under 2.5 million immigrants from Scandinavia, and almost 1.5 million from the rest of Northwest Europe. The period with the highest levels of migration from Northwest Europe to the US was in the 1880s, as the Long Depression, increased industrialization and harsh winters continued to weaken Europe's agricultural sector, prompting many (mostly young men and their families) to migrate to the US in search of economic opportunities there. The period around 1850 also saw increased migration from Northwest Europe to the US, however the majority of this was due to the Great Famine in Ireland, which caused the death of over one million people due to starvation or famine-related illnesses, while another one million people migrated abroad to escape the hardships brought by the famine. The early 1930s saw the period with the lowest levels of emigration from Europe to the US, as the Great Depression made it difficult and impractical to migrate to the United States.
Number of documented migrants from Northern and Western Europe to the United States between 1820 and 1957
Year
Great Britain
Ireland*
Scandinavia*
Other Northwestern European*
1957
24,020
8,227
6,189
25,109
1956
19,008
5,607
5,681
15,254
1955
15,761
5,222
5,159
10,707
1954
16,672
4,655
5,459
11,853
1953
16,639
4,304
5,537
11,145
1952
22,177
3,526
5,416
12,476
1951
14,898
3,144
5,502
10,973
1950
12,755
5,842
5,661
10,857
1949
21,149
8,678
6,665
12,288
1948
26,403
7,534
6,127
13,721
1947
23,788
2,574
4,918
14,562
1946
33,552
1,816
1,278
8,651
1945
3,029
427
224
365
1944
1,321
112
281
619
1943
974
165
239
1,531
1942
907
83
371
5,622
1941
7,714
272
1,137
9,009
1940
6,158
839
1,260
7,743
1939
3,058
1,189
1,178
5,214
1938
2,262
1,085
1,393
3,352
1937
1,726
531
971
2,512
1936
1,310
444
646
1,745
1935
1,413
454
688
1,808
1934
1,305
443
557
1,270
1933
979
338
511
1,045
1932
2,057
539
938
1,558
1931
9,110
7,305
3,144
4,420
1930
31,015
23,445
6,919
9,170
1929
21,327
19,921
17,379
9,091
1928
19,958
25,268
16,184
9,079
1927
23,669
28,545
16,860
9,134
1926
25,528
24,897
16,818
8,773
1925
27,172
26,650
16,810
8,548
1924
59,490
17,111
35,577
16,077
1923
45,759
15,740
34,184
12,469
1922
25,153
10,579
14,625
11,149
1921
51,142
28,435
22,854
29,317
1920
38,471
9,591
13,444
24,491
1919
6,787
474
5,590
5,126
1918
2,516
331
6,506
3,146
1917
10,735
5,406
13,771
6,731
1916
16,063
8,639
14,761
8,715
1915
27,237
14,185
17,883
12,096
1914
48,729
24,688
29,391
25,591
1913
60,328
27,876
32,267
28,086
1912
57,148
25,879
27,554
22,921
1911
73,384
29,112
42,285
25,549
1910
68,941
29,855
48,267
23,852
1909
46,793
25,033
32,496
17,756
1908
62,824
30,556
30,175
22,177
1907
79,037
34,530
49,965
26,512
1906
67,198
34,995
52,781
23,277
1905
84,189
52,945
60,625
24,693
1904
51,448
36,142
60,096
23,321
1903
33,637
35,310
77,647
17,009
1902
16,898
29,138
54,038
10,322
1901
14,985
30,561
39,234
9,279
1900
12,509
35,730
31,151
5,822
1899
13,456
31,673
22,192
5,150
1898
12,894
25,128
19,282
4,698
1897
12,752
28,421
21,089
5,323
1896
24,565
40,262
33,199
7,611
1895
28,833
46,304
26,852
7,313
1894
22,520
30,231
32,400
9,514
1893
35,189
43,578
58,945
17,888
1892
42,215
51,383
66,295
21,731
1891
66,605
55,706
60,107
21,824
1890
69,730
53,024
50,368
20,575
1889
87,992
65,557
57,504
22,010
1888
108,692
73,513
81,924
23,251
1887
93,378
68,370
67,629
17,307
1886
62,929
49,619
46,735
11,737
1885
57,713
51,795
40,704
13,732
1884
65,950
63,344
52,728
18,768
1883
76,606
81,486
71,994
24,271
1882
102,991
76,432
105,326
27,796
1881
81,376
72,342
81,582
26,883
1880
73,278
71,603
65,657
15,042
1879
29,955
20,013
21,820
9,081
1878
22,150
15,932
12,254
6,929
1877
23,581
14,569
11,274
8,621
1876
29,291
19,575
12,323
10,923
1875
47,905
37,957
14,322
11,987
1874
62,021
53,707
19,178
15,998
1873
89,500
77,344
35,481
22,892
1872
84,912
68,732
28,575
15,614
1871
85,455
57,439
22,132
7,174
1870
103,677
56,996
30,742
9,152
1869
84,438
40,786
43,941
10,585
1868
24,127
32,068
11,985
4,293
1867
52,641
72,879
8,491
12,417
1866
94,924
36,690
14,495
13,648
1865
82,465
29,772
7,258
7,992
1864
53,428
63,523
2,961
5,621
1863
66,882
55,916
3,119
3,245
1862
24,639
23,351
2,550
4,386
1861
19,675
23,797
850
3,769
1860
29,737
48,637
840
5,278
1859
26,163
35,216
1,590
3,727
1858
28,956
26,873
2,662
4,580
1857
58,479
54,361
2,747
6,879
1856
44,658
54,349
1,330
12,403
1855
47,572
49,627
1,349
14,571
1854
58,647
101,606
4,222
23,070
1853
37,576
162,649
3,396
14,205
1852
40,699
159,548
4,106
11,278
1851
51,487
221,253
2,438
20,905
1850
51,085
164,004
1,589
11,470
1849
55,132
159,398
3,481
7,634
1848
35,159
112,934
1,113
9,877
1847
23,302
105,536
1,320
24,336
1846
22,180
51,752
2,030
12,303
1845
19,210
44,821
982
9,466
1844
14,353
33,490
1,336
4,343
1843
8,430
19,670
1,777
4,364
1842
22,005
51,342
588
5,361
1841
16,188
37,772
226
6,077
1840
2,618
39,430
207
7,978
1839
2,613
23,963
380
7,891
1838
10,271
12,645
112
3,839
1837
5,420
28,508
399
5,769
1836
12,218
30,578
473
5,189
1835
13,106
26,927
68
3,369
1834
8,970
24,474
66
4,468
1833
10,490
8,648
189
5,355
1832
4,916
12,436
334
5,695
1831
5,331
5,772
36
2,277
1830
2,475
2,721
19
1,305
1829
1,153
7,415
30
1,065
1828
3,179
12,488
60
4,700
1827
5,352
9,766
28
1,829
1826
4,186
5,408
26
968
1825
2,319
4,888
18
719
1824
1,264
2,345
20
671
1823
1,100
1,908
7
528
1822
1,221
2,267
28
522
1821
3,210
1,518
24
521
1820
2,410
3,614
23
452
Zoomable Statistic: Select the range in the chart you want to zoom in on.
Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden, United States, United Kingdom (Great Britain, Northern Ireland)
Survey time period
1820 to1957
Supplementary notes
* Figures for Ireland include Northern Ireland. Figures for Scandinavia are for Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Figures for 'Other Northwestern European' are for Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), France and Switzerland.
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US Department of Commerce, & US Census Bureau. (August 29, 2019). Number of documented migrants from Northern and Western Europe to the United States between 1820 and 1957 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 09, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044515/migration-northwestern-europe-to-us-1820-1957/
US Department of Commerce, und US Census Bureau. "Number of documented migrants from Northern and Western Europe to the United States between 1820 and 1957." Chart. August 29, 2019. Statista. Accessed December 09, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044515/migration-northwestern-europe-to-us-1820-1957/
US Department of Commerce, US Census Bureau. (2019). Number of documented migrants from Northern and Western Europe to the United States between 1820 and 1957. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 09, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044515/migration-northwestern-europe-to-us-1820-1957/
US Department of Commerce, and US Census Bureau. "Number of Documented Migrants from Northern and Western Europe to The United States between 1820 and 1957." Statista, Statista Inc., 29 Aug 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044515/migration-northwestern-europe-to-us-1820-1957/
US Department of Commerce & US Census Bureau, Number of documented migrants from Northern and Western Europe to the United States between 1820 and 1957 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044515/migration-northwestern-europe-to-us-1820-1957/ (last visited December 09, 2024)
Number of documented migrants from Northern and Western Europe to the United States between 1820 and 1957 [Graph], US Department of Commerce, & US Census Bureau, August 29, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044515/migration-northwestern-europe-to-us-1820-1957/