Nigerians naturalised in US reached 47,819 between 2019 and 2023, a DHS report shows, marking Africa’s fastest growth in citizenship

Nigerians naturalised in US have reached 47,819 between 2019 and 2023, according to the latest U.S. Naturalisations Annual Flow Report released by the Department of Homeland Security.

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The updated report, compiled by the Office of Homeland Security Statistics in August 2025, tracked applications through Form N-400 and electronic case files managed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Data show that 8,930 Nigerians became U.S. citizens in 2020, a year marked by COVID-19 disruptions that suspended oath ceremonies for 11 weeks. Numbers rebounded sharply in 2021, with 10,921 naturalisations as USCIS cleared backlogs.

The upward trend peaked in 2022, when 14,438 Nigerians took the oath of allegiance — the highest on record for the country, representing a 32 percent jump from the previous year. In 2023, the figure moderated slightly to 13,530.

Altogether, the four-year tally of Nigerians naturalised in US accounted for 1.4 percent of all 341,884 Africans who became citizens during the same period.

Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo featured in the top 30 source countries. The DRC almost doubled its 2022 numbers to about 6,000. Other African contributors included Ethiopia, Ghana and Kenya.

African-born nationals represented 11 percent of U.S. naturalisations in both 2022 and 2023 — the highest share ever recorded, up from an average of 9.6 percent between 2010 and 2019.

Africans, alongside Asians, had the shortest wait time for citizenship, with a median of six years in lawful permanent resident status before naturalisation.

Between 2020 and 2023, African naturalisations grew by 43 percent, outpacing every other region.

Globally, Mexico remained the leading source country with 437,697 naturalisations over the period. India followed with 230,164, while the Philippines (180,073), Cuba (159,393), the Dominican Republic (116,523), Vietnam (113,487), China (113,126), Jamaica (77,335), El Salvador (73,489), and Colombia (65,486) rounded out the top 10.

Together, these countries contributed more than half of all 3.3 million new American citizens in the four-year window.

The DHS reiterated that applicants must meet statutory requirements under the Immigration and Nationality Act, including continuous residence, good moral character, and successful completion of English and civics tests, before taking the oath ceremony that confers U.S. citizenship.

Experts note that the rise in Nigerians naturalised in US reflects broader demographic shifts since the 1965 immigration reforms, which opened doors for Asia and Africa.

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With Africans now showing the fastest naturalisation growth, the trend signals a new chapter in America’s immigrant story.