World

Surge in US Hispanic Population Driven by Births, Not Immigration

by Dave Keating | May 1, 2008 at 02:55 am

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The US census has confirmed that Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority group in the US, increasing by 1.4 million last year to 45.5 million, a 3.3 percent increase. This fact will surprise few, but what is interesting to note is that the majority of this growth has come from births, not immigration.

Hispanics now account for more than 15% of the U.S. population, and their surge is largely the result of births among people already in the country, according to new Census Bureau data.

In an annual report, the Census said there are 45.5 million Hispanics in the U.S., up from 35.7 million in 2000, when they made up 12.6% of the population. It said growth among Hispanics was responsible for half of the U.S. population gains between 2000 and 2007.In the 1990s, a flood of Hispanic immigrants explained most of the group's population rise. That has changed in recent years. Between 2006 and 2007, about 62% of the increase in Hispanics came from births.