America was built by immigrants who converged from around the world looking for a better life. But today the United States is far from the world’s most diverse “melting pot.” Luxembourg takes that title, with 36.9 percent of its population being foreign-born in 2009. The U.S. ranked 13th in 2009, with 12.7 percent of its people born elsewhere.
The foreign-born population is rising in the U.S., however, and has been growing steadily over the past two decades. 53 percent of those new residents hail from Latin America. More than 28 percent come from Asia.
Check out our infographic for more “melting pot” demographics. See “What Do Others Say?” for additional perspective, then add to the discussion below. How important is diversity? Does it matter where our immigrants come from?
