Biggest sources of immigrants to Washington, D.C.

Joseph Oropel // Shutterstock

Biggest sources of immigrants to Washington, D.C.

Nearly 14% of the United States population is composed of immigrants. But in reality, the vast majority of Americans today are here because of relatives who immigrated from other countries some time in the last several hundred years.

And while the distinctive American culture and spirit is the result of blending many diverse cultures and histories, the United States has for centuries had an up-and-down relationship with immigration.

Each era of immigration has been met with reductive ideas and resistance, whether the backlash was directed toward the Chinese, Irish, Italians, or Mexicans. Immigration laws have targeted specific groups at various times, stoking intolerance and preventing people from truly joining American society. Over time, however, as laws changed to be more equitable and immigrants found their footings, we have reaped the rewards of innovation in business, music, art, literature, dance, food, societal norms, entertainment, and sports—all while realizing a greater understanding of and respect for different cultures, religions, and ideas.

Stacker compiled a list of the countries most immigrants to Washington, D.C. come from, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Countries are ranked by highest number of foreign-born residents who lived in Washington, D.C. as of 2019’s five-year estimates.

Keep reading to find out more about the immigrant community in your home city.

1 / 50

Pixabay

#50. Italy

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 5,224
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 332,857
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #30 most common country of origin

2 / 50

Fitria Ramli // Shutterstock

#49. Saudi Arabia

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 5,289
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 85,000
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #70 most common country of origin

3 / 50

Falkenpost // Pixabay

#48. Cuba

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 5,521
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 1,289,875
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%
- #7 most common country of origin

4 / 50

Photos By Beks // Unsplash

#47. Kenya

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 5,574
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 141,751
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #48 most common country of origin

5 / 50

Unsplash

#46. Ukraine

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 5,782
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 345,250
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #28 most common country of origin

6 / 50

blk24ga // Wikicommons

#45. Liberia

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 5,868
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 87,991
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #67 most common country of origin

7 / 50

Pixabay

#44. Turkey

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 6,299
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 119,380
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #54 most common country of origin

8 / 50

Kendra Helmer // Wikimedia Commons

#43. Haiti

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 6,544
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 672,655
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #15 most common country of origin

9 / 50

USACE HQ , JIM GORDAN, CIV, USACE // Wikicommons

#42. Iraq

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 6,965
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 225,038
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #38 most common country of origin

10 / 50

agchinook // Shutterstock

#41. Venezuela

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 7,012
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 349,720
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #27 most common country of origin

11 / 50

Tracey Dos Santos // Wikimedia Commons

#40. Guyana

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 7,418
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 271,092
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #31 most common country of origin

12 / 50

Michael Shade // Wikicommons

#39. Ecuador

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 7,421
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 438,474
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #19 most common country of origin

13 / 50

Evgeniya Uvarova // Shutterstock

#38. Argentina

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 7,590
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 194,435
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #39 most common country of origin

14 / 50

Adam Jones, Ph.D. // Wikicommons

#37. Morocco

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 7,596
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 78,439
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #73 most common country of origin

15 / 50

Tupungato // Shutterstock

#36. France

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 8,554
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 181,554
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #41 most common country of origin

16 / 50

Jack Bkk // Shutterstock

#35. Thailand

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 8,732
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 255,345
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #32 most common country of origin

17 / 50

Prin Adulyatham // Shutterstock

#34. Egypt

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 8,749
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 191,452
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #40 most common country of origin

18 / 50

Unsplash

#33. Japan

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 8,955
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 345,140
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #29 most common country of origin

19 / 50

Kalamazadkhan // Wikicommons

#32. Trinidad and Tobago

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 9,801
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 230,035
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #37 most common country of origin

20 / 50

Vixit // Shutterstock

#31. Nepal

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 9,824
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 140,904
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #49 most common country of origin

21 / 50

Elena Simona Craciun // Shutterstock

#30. Nicaragua

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 10,521
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 251,913
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #33 most common country of origin

22 / 50

Viacheslav Lopatin // Shutterstock

#29. Russia

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 11,361
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 391,641
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #22 most common country of origin

23 / 50

Unsplash

#28. Canada

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 11,915
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 808,566
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%
- #11 most common country of origin

24 / 50

Catarina Belova // Shutterstock

#27. Brazil

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 12,153
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 433,479
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #20 most common country of origin

25 / 50

PIxabay

#26. Taiwan

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 12,568
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 381,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #24 most common country of origin

26 / 50

Denys Yelmanov // Shutterstock

#25. Bangladesh

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 13,639
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%

National
- Number of residents: 237,288
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #35 most common country of origin

27 / 50

robertonencini // Shutterstock

#24. Sierra Leone

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 13,908
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%

National
- Number of residents: 40,991
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #94 most common country of origin

28 / 50

Pixabay

#23. Dominican Republic

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 14,323
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%

National
- Number of residents: 1,118,147
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%
- #8 most common country of origin

29 / 50

Max Pixel

#22. Germany

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 16,233
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.1%

National
- Number of residents: 560,368
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%
- #17 most common country of origin

30 / 50

Dorymam // Cameroon

#21. Cameroon

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 16,844
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.2%

National
- Number of residents: 60,120
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #80 most common country of origin

31 / 50

Michal Knitl // Shutterstock

#20. Afghanistan

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 17,445
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.2%

National
- Number of residents: 101,548
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #59 most common country of origin

32 / 50

User:Colin // Wikimedia Commons

#19. United Kingdom

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 18,197
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%

National
- Number of residents: 698,612
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%
- #14 most common country of origin

33 / 50

Alexander Canas Arango // Shutterstock

#18. Colombia

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 18,624
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%

National
- Number of residents: 761,374
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #12 most common country of origin

34 / 50

Ninara // Wikimedia Commons

#17. Iran

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 21,392
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%

National
- Number of residents: 382,260
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #23 most common country of origin

35 / 50

byvalet // Shutterstock

#16. Jamaica

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 22,613
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%

National
- Number of residents: 741,386
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #13 most common country of origin

36 / 50

Rjruiziii // Wikicommons

#15. Ghana

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 24,030
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%

National
- Number of residents: 178,388
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #43 most common country of origin

37 / 50

OpenUpEd // Flickr

#14. Nigeria

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 26,999
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

National
- Number of residents: 350,272
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #26 most common country of origin

38 / 50

Saqib Rizvi // Shutterstock

#13. Pakistan

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 28,425
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.0%

National
- Number of residents: 376,127
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #25 most common country of origin

39 / 50

Tobias Jelskov // Unsplash

#12. Bolivia

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 29,191
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.1%

National
- Number of residents: 78,927
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #72 most common country of origin

40 / 50

Christian Vinces // Shutterstock

#11. Peru

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 40,422
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%

National
- Number of residents: 451,076
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #18 most common country of origin

41 / 50

Marek Poplawski // Shutterstock

#10. Honduras

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 41,226
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%

National
- Number of residents: 651,123
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #16 most common country of origin

42 / 50

Jakub Hejtmánek // Wikicommons

#9. Mexico

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 47,427
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.4%

National
- Number of residents: 11,250,541
- Percent of foreign born residents: 25.6%
- #1 most common country of origin

43 / 50

Joseph Oropel // Shutterstock

#8. Philippines

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 48,806
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.5%

National
- Number of residents: 1,983,939
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.5%
- #4 most common country of origin

44 / 50

Quangpraha // Pixabay

#7. Vietnam

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 48,953
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.5%

National
- Number of residents: 1,336,988
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.0%
- #6 most common country of origin

45 / 50

Kobby Dagan // Shutterstock

#6. Guatemala

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 51,108
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.6%

National
- Number of residents: 979,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.2%
- #10 most common country of origin

46 / 50

neiljs // Flickr

#5. Ethiopia

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 53,699
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.8%

National
- Number of residents: 249,777
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #34 most common country of origin

47 / 50

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#4. China

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 58,038
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.1%

National
- Number of residents: 2,162,395
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.9%
- #3 most common country of origin

48 / 50

Kys951 // Wikimedia Commons

#3. South Korea

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 59,430
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.2%

National
- Number of residents: 1,044,634
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.4%
- #9 most common country of origin

49 / 50

Kriangkrai Thitimakorn // Shutterstock

#2. India

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 103,755
- Percent of foreign born residents: 7.3%

National
- Number of residents: 2,561,906
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.8%
- #2 most common country of origin

50 / 50

JMRAFFi // Wikimedia Commons

#1. El Salvador

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Number of residents: 194,468
- Percent of foreign born residents: 13.8%

National
- Number of residents: 1,381,008
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%
- #5 most common country of origin

Biggest sources of immigrants to Washington, D.C.