Pew’s estimate is that the U.S. undocumented immigrant population reached 14 million in 2023 , up from about 11.8 million the prior year, and it rose by about 3.5 million from 2021 to 2023.

Quick Scoop

  • Best Pew-based answer: 14 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. in 2023.
  • Change during Biden’s term: Pew reported the biggest documented increase between 2021 and 2023, about 3.5 million.
  • Important distinction: This is Pew’s estimate of the undocumented immigrant population , not the total number of immigrants or every border encounter.

What that means

People often mix up three different figures: total immigrants, undocumented immigrants, and border encounters. Pew’s number here refers to the undocumented population living in the U.S., while border encounters are a separate measure and do not equal successful entries.

In context

Pew’s reporting also said unauthorized immigrants made up 27 percent of all immigrants in 2023, up from 22 percent two years earlier. That helps explain why the topic got so much attention during and after Biden’s term.

Measure| Pew figure
---|---
Undocumented immigrant population in 2023| 14 million 211
Increase from 2021 to 2023| About 3.5 million 1115
Share of all U.S. immigrants in 2023| 27% 11

For a plain-English one-liner: about 14 million undocumented immigrants were in the U.S. by 2023, according to Pew, with the sharpest growth occurring from 2021 to 2023.