Between 1820 and 1957, more than one million documented migrants arrived in the United States from Asia. The migration rate was quite low until the 1850s, but then there was an influx of Chinese migrants to the US, and almost 300,000 people migrated to the US from China by 1884. This migration from China ended abruptly in the 1880s, as a result of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This act prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States, and, despite the fact that it was only intended to last for ten years, it officially remained in effect until 1943, and in practice until 1965.
After this law came into effect, migration from Asia was quite low until the end of the nineteenth century. As the twentieth century began, migration from Asia to the US increased gradually, particularly from Japan and Turkey, although overall migration decreased again following the First World War and the Great Depression. In the lead up to the Second World War, migration to the US decreased greatly, particularly from Japan, who were one of America's enemies during the war. As the Chinese Civil War ended in the late 1940s, the US accepted a few thousand Chinese asylum seekers, and then migration from Asia grew to it's pre-Depression levels in the 1950s.
Number of documented migrants from Asia to the United States between 1870 and 1957, by region
Year
Turkey
China
Japan
Other Asian countries
1957
77
2,098
6,829
11,004
1956
48
1,386
5,967
9,926
1955
54
568
4,150
6,163
1954
33
254
3,846
5,837
1953
13
528
2,579
5,111
1952
12
263
3,814
5,239
1951
3
335
271
3,312
1950
13
1,280
100
2,386
1949
40
3,415
529
2,454
1948
16
7,203
423
3,097
1947
22
3,191
131
2,479
1946
16
252
14
1,351
1945
13
71
1
357
1944
15
50
4
158
1943
36
65
20
213
1942
31
179
44
310
1941
16
1,003
289
493
1940
7
643
102
1,161
1939
15
642
102
1,403
1938
11
613
93
1,659
1937
13
293
132
627
1936
20
273
91
337
1935
31
229
88
334
1934
22
187
86
302
1933
27
148
75
302
1932
43
750
526
612
1931
139
1,150
653
1,403
1930
118
1,589
837
1,991
1929
70
1,446
771
1,471
1928
80
1,320
550
1,430
1927
73
1,471
723
1,402
1926
37
1,751
654
971
1925
51
1,937
723
867
1924
2,820
6,992
8,801
3,452
1923
2,183
4,986
5,809
727
1922
1,992
4,406
6,716
1,143
1921
11,735
4,009
7,878
1,412
1920
5,033
2,330
9,432
710
1919
19
1,964
10,064
627
1918
43
1,795
10,213
650
1917
393
2,237
8,991
1,135
1916
1,670
2,460
8,680
394
1915
3,543
2,660
8,613
395
1914
21,716
2,502
8,929
1,126
1913
23,955
2,105
8,281
1,017
1912
12,788
1,765
6,114
782
1911
10,229
1,460
4,520
1,219
1910
15,212
1,968
2,720
3,633
1909
7,506
1,943
3,111
344
1908
9,758
1,397
15,803
1,412
1907
8,053
961
30,226
1,284
1906
6,354
1,544
13,835
567
1905
6,157
2,166
10,331
5,271
1904
5,235
4,309
14,264
2,378
1903
7,118
2,209
19,968
671
1902
6,223
1,649
14,270
129
1901
5,782
2,459
5,269
83
1900
3,962
1,247
12,635
102
1899
4,436
1,660
2,844
32
1898
4,275
2,071
2,230
61
1897
4,732
3,363
1,526
41
1896
4,139
1,441
1,110
74
1895
2,767
539
1,150
39
1894
-
1,170
1,931
1,589
1893
-
472
1,380
540
1892
-
-
-
-
1891
2,488
2,836
1,136
1,218
1890
1,126
1,716
691
915
1889
593
118
640
374
1888
273
26
404
140
1887
208
10
229
168
1886
15
40
194
68
1885
-
22
49
127
1884
-
279
20
211
1883
-
8,031
27
55
1882
-
39,579
5
45
1881
5
11,890
11
76
1880
4
5,802
4
29
1879
31
9,604
4
21
1878
7
8,992
2
13
1877
3
10,594
7
36
1876
8
22,781
4
150
1875
1
16,437
3
58
1874
6
13,776
21
35
1873
3
20,292
9
21
1872
-
7,788
17
20
1871
4
7,135
78
23
1870
-
15,740
48
37
1869
2
12,874
63
10
1868
-
5,157
-
14
1867
-
3,863
67
31
1866
-
2,385
7
19
1865
-
2,942
-
5
1864
-
2,975
-
7
1863
-
7,214
-
2
1862
-
3,633
-
7
1861
-
7,518
1
9
1860
-
5,467
-
9
1859
-
3,457
-
4
1858
-
5,128
-
5
1857
-
5,944
-
1
1856
-
4,733
-
14
1855
-
3,526
-
14
1854
-
13,100
-
-
1853
-
42
-
5
1852
-
-
-
4
1851
-
-
-
2
1850
-
3
-
4
1849
-
3
-
8
1848
-
-
-
8
1847
-
4
-
8
1846
-
7
-
4
1845
-
6
-
-
1844
-
3
-
3
1843
-
3
-
8
1842
-
4
-
3
1841
-
2
-
1
1840
-
-
-
1
1839
-
-
-
-
1838
-
-
-
1
1837
-
-
-
11
1836
-
-
-
4
1835
-
8
-
9
1834
-
-
-
6
1833
-
-
-
3
1832
-
-
-
4
1831
-
-
-
1
1830
-
-
-
-
1829
-
1
-
1
1828
-
-
-
3
1827
-
-
-
1
1826
-
-
-
1
1825
-
1
-
-
1824
-
-
-
1
1823
-
-
-
-
1822
-
-
-
1
1821
-
-
-
-
1820
-
1
-
4
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US Census Bureau, & US Department of Commerce. (August 29, 2019). Number of documented migrants from Asia to the United States between 1870 and 1957, by region [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044567/migration-from-asia-to-us-by-region-1820-1957/
US Census Bureau, und US Department of Commerce. "Number of documented migrants from Asia to the United States between 1870 and 1957, by region." Chart. August 29, 2019. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044567/migration-from-asia-to-us-by-region-1820-1957/
US Census Bureau, US Department of Commerce. (2019). Number of documented migrants from Asia to the United States between 1870 and 1957, by region. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044567/migration-from-asia-to-us-by-region-1820-1957/
US Census Bureau, and US Department of Commerce. "Number of Documented Migrants from Asia to The United States between 1870 and 1957, by Region." Statista, Statista Inc., 29 Aug 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044567/migration-from-asia-to-us-by-region-1820-1957/
US Census Bureau & US Department of Commerce, Number of documented migrants from Asia to the United States between 1870 and 1957, by region Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044567/migration-from-asia-to-us-by-region-1820-1957/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Number of documented migrants from Asia to the United States between 1870 and 1957, by region [Graph], US Census Bureau, & US Department of Commerce, August 29, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044567/migration-from-asia-to-us-by-region-1820-1957/