While Mexicans still make up the largest share of U.S. Latinos, the population has become increasingly diverse in the last 20 years, with the fastest growth coming from countries in South America.
That’s according to a new report from the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute. Researchers used U.S. Census data from 2000 and 2020 to examine demographic and socioeconomic changes among Latinos descending from 19 countries. In those 20 years, the nation’s Latino population grew from 35 million to more than 62 million.
In particular, some Latino origin groups grew at faster rates than others. The Venezuelan community had the most growth, with a 550% increase. The number of U.S. Latinos of Paraguayan, Honduran and Guatemalan descent more than quadrupled.
