Jamie Street // Unsplash

Biggest sources of immigrants to Birmingham

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 Birmingham come from, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Countries are ranked by highest number of foreign-born residents who lived in Birmingham as of 2019’s five-year estimates.

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

Maryam // Wikicommons

#49 (tie). Kuwait

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 94
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%

National
– Number of residents: 33,788
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
– #102 most common country of origin

Alexandra Pugachevsky // Wikicommons

#49 (tie). Yemen

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 94
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%

National
– Number of residents: 54,152
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
– #82 most common country of origin

Gianfranco Vivi // Shutterstock

#47 (tie). Costa Rica

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 98
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%

National
– Number of residents: 88,084
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
– #66 most common country of origin

Elena Simona Craciun // Shutterstock

#47 (tie). Nicaragua

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 98
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%

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

Tracey Dos Santos // Wikimedia Commons

#46. Guyana

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 102
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%

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

Gregory DALLEAU // Unsplash

#44 (tie). Ireland

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 104
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%

National
– Number of residents: 121,469
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
– #53 most common country of origin

Pixabay

#44 (tie). Turkey

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 104
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%

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

Pixabay

#43. Dominican Republic

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 105
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%

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

Augustin Lazaroiu // Shutterstock

#42. Romania

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 108
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%

National
– Number of residents: 162,046
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
– #45 most common country of origin

Evgeniya Uvarova // Shutterstock

#41. Argentina

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 115
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

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

Prin Adulyatham // Shutterstock

#40. Egypt

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 136
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

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

Madrugada Verde // Shutterstock

#39. Sri Lanka

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 137
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
– Number of residents: 52,439
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
– #83 most common country of origin

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#38. Spain

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 152
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
– Number of residents: 115,113
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
– #55 most common country of origin

Juan P. Verni // Flickr

#37. Greece

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 157
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
– Number of residents: 129,765
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
– #51 most common country of origin

Denys Yelmanov // Shutterstock

#36. Bangladesh

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 160
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

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

Pixabay

#35. Italy

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 164
– 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

Unsplash

#34. Lebanon

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 198
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
– Number of residents: 121,697
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
– #52 most common country of origin

PIxabay

#33. Taiwan

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 223
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

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

Tupungato // Shutterstock

#32. France

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 225
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

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

Fernando Jorge // Unsplash

#31. Bahamas

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 227
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
– Number of residents: 33,698
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
– #103 most common country of origin

Vixit // Shutterstock

#30. Nepal

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 230
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

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

Jalo // Wikimedia Commons

#29. Zimbabwe

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 239
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
– Number of residents: 24,144
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
– #114 most common country of origin

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

#28. Panama

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 265
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
– Number of residents: 103,299
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
– #58 most common country of origin

Christian Vinces // Shutterstock

#27. Peru

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 283
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

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

Ninara // Wikimedia Commons

#25 (tie). Iran

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 307
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

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

Alexander Canas Arango // Shutterstock

#25 (tie). Colombia

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 307
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

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

Jack Bkk // Shutterstock

#24. Thailand

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 325
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

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

Unsplash

#22 (tie). Japan

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 329
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

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

Catarina Belova // Shutterstock

#22 (tie). Brazil

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 329
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

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

Viacheslav Lopatin // Shutterstock

#21. Russia

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 363
– 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

HandmadePictures // Shutterstock

#20. South Africa

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 365
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
– Number of residents: 104,022
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
– #56 most common country of origin

OpenUpEd // Flickr

#19. Nigeria

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 370
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

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

byvalet // Shutterstock

#18. Jamaica

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 391
– Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

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

agchinook // Shutterstock

#17. Venezuela

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 480
– Percent of foreign born residents: 1.1%

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

Unsplash

#16. Ukraine

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 496
– Percent of foreign born residents: 1.1%

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

Falkenpost // Pixabay

#15. Cuba

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 504
– Percent of foreign born residents: 1.1%

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

Saqib Rizvi // Shutterstock

#14. Pakistan

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 775
– Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%

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

Unsplash

#13. Canada

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 789
– Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%

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

Max Pixel

#12. Germany

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 869
– Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

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

Photos By Beks // Unsplash

#11. Kenya

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 877
– Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

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

Joseph Oropel // Shutterstock

#10. Philippines

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 1,007
– Percent of foreign born residents: 2.2%

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

Kobby Dagan // Shutterstock

#9. Guatemala

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 1,138
– Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%

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

Jamie Street // Unsplash

#8. United Kingdom

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 1,146
– Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%

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

JMRAFFi // Wikimedia Commons

#7. El Salvador

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 1,204
– Percent of foreign born residents: 2.7%

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

Kys951 // Wikimedia Commons

#6. South Korea

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 1,319
– Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%

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

Marek Poplawski // Shutterstock

#5. Honduras

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 1,532
– Percent of foreign born residents: 3.4%

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

Quangpraha // Pixabay

#4. Vietnam

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 1,541
– Percent of foreign born residents: 3.4%

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

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#3. China

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 2,693
– Percent of foreign born residents: 5.9%

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

Kriangkrai Thitimakorn // Shutterstock

#2. India

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 3,226
– Percent of foreign born residents: 7.1%

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

Jakub Hejtmánek // Wikicommons

#1. Mexico

Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
– Number of residents: 15,577
– Percent of foreign born residents: 34.4%

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