Between the 17th and mid-19th centuries, almost 400 thousand slaves arrived in mainland North America, after embarking on slave ships in Africa. The most common disembarking regions were in the Carolinas and Georgia, where more than half of these slaves disembarked. The majority of the remaining slaves disembarked in the Chesapeake region, which stretched from Virginia to New York, while a smaller number disembarked further to the north, or in the states along the Gulf of Mexico. It may also be of note that very few slaves disembarked in Chesapeake or the northern U.S. in the nineteenth century, as slavery began to be abolished in some northern states and regions in the late 1700s.
Estimated number of slaves who arrived from Africa* in various regions of Mainland North America in each century from 1628 to 1860
Arrival region
1628-1700
1701-1800
1801-1860
USA unspecified
133
1,222
507
Gulf States
0
11,661
10,124
Northern U.S.
2,826
23,791
338
Chesapeake
12,188
115,411
68
Carolinas/Georgia
0
143,396
67,080
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Arrival regionNumber of slaves210,476210,476127,667127,66726,95526,95521,78521,7851,8621,8621628-17001701-18001801-1860Carolinas/GeorgiaChesapeakeNorthern U.S.Gulf StatesUSA unspecified
050,000100,000150,000200,000250,000
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*This data relates only to slaves who embarked on slave ships in Africa, and disembarked in Mainland North America. This data does not include slaves who arrived from other regions of the Americas (such as the first slaves who arrived in the colonies in 1619).
No release date given in the source. Data last accessed in August 2020.
Citation formats
Aaron O'Neill
Research lead for society, economy, and politics: Europe & global
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Slave Voyages. (January 1, 2020). Estimated number of slaves who arrived from Africa* in various regions of Mainland North America in each century from 1628 to 1860 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1150531/number-slaves-arrived-in-each-region-of-us-from-africa/
Slave Voyages. "Estimated number of slaves who arrived from Africa* in various regions of Mainland North America in each century from 1628 to 1860." Chart. January 1, 2020. Statista. Accessed April 29, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1150531/number-slaves-arrived-in-each-region-of-us-from-africa/
Slave Voyages. (2020). Estimated number of slaves who arrived from Africa* in various regions of Mainland North America in each century from 1628 to 1860. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 29, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1150531/number-slaves-arrived-in-each-region-of-us-from-africa/
Slave Voyages. "Estimated Number of Slaves Who Arrived from Africa* in Various Regions of Mainland North America in Each Century from 1628 to 1860." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jan 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1150531/number-slaves-arrived-in-each-region-of-us-from-africa/
Slave Voyages, Estimated number of slaves who arrived from Africa* in various regions of Mainland North America in each century from 1628 to 1860 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1150531/number-slaves-arrived-in-each-region-of-us-from-africa/ (last visited April 29, 2025)
Estimated number of slaves who arrived from Africa* in various regions of Mainland North America in each century from 1628 to 1860 [Graph], Slave Voyages, January 1, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1150531/number-slaves-arrived-in-each-region-of-us-from-africa/
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