Would the population of the USA continue to grow without immigration?
New immigrants (legal and illegal) plus births to immigrants add some 2.3 million people to the United States each year, accounting for most of the nation’s population increase. Immigration Accounts for Most U.S. Population Growth. Although immigration has little effect on the nation’s overall fertility rate, new immigrants (legal and illegal) plus births to immigrants add some 2.3 million people to the United States each year, accounting for most of the nation’s population increase. In fact, because natives have only two children on average, absent the additions that come from immigrants, the U.S. population would be roughly stable in the long-run without continued high levels of immigration. Whatever one thinks about the costs and benefits of continued population growth, there is no question that immigration is the driving force behind it.
