Latinos accounted for more than 70% of the overall growth of the U.S. population between 2022 and 2023 — driven mainly through high Hispanic birth rates, new U.S. Census estimates released Thursday show.
Why it matters: The Hispanic population is expanding at a much faster rate than the non-Latino population, and its growth comes as the far-right, racist "white replacement theory" gains traction among more Republicans.
The big picture: The explosive growth confirms what many demographers have been predicting: the U.S. is becoming less white and more Latino and Asian American as the nation gets closer to the 250th anniversary of its founding.
By the numbers: Latinos of any race grew to just over 65 million last year, an increase of 1.16 million (1.8%) from the prior year, according to the "Vintage 2023 Population Estimates" from the U.S. Census Bureau.
- This growth significantly contributed to the nation's total population gain of 1.64 million in 2023, the estimates found.
- Natural increases were the most significant factor in Hispanic population growth, with around 722,000 more births than deaths.
- International migration was only about one-third of the overall net gain in the Latino population, with 437,000 migrants coming into the country.
What they're saying: "The annual increase of 1.8% was in sharp contrast to the 0.2% increase in the non-Hispanic population," Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Census Bureau's Population Division, said in a statement.
- "The non-Latino population's growth was tempered by a decline among non-Hispanic Whites, the largest demographic within the non-Hispanic category and the only one to experience a population loss, Wilder said.
State of play: The expansion of the Latino population and the drop in white Americans has sparked a growing number of elected Republicans to embrace the "white replacement theory" to explain the demographic shift.
- That's a decades-old conspiracy theory that alleges the existence of a plot to change America's racial composition by methodically enacting policies that reduce white Americans' political power.
- The conspiracies encompass strains of anti-Semitism as well as racism and anti-immigrant sentiment. It is expressed in some white supremacist novels.
Reality check: There is no evidence of any conspiracy by Latinos to replace white Americans, and the growth appears to be driven by births — some multiracial births with white and Black Americans.
The intrigue: Hispanics made up almost one-fifth (19.5%) of the U.S. population in 2023, making it the second-largest group after non-Hispanic white Americans.
- But the Latino population's growth last year was slower than in previous decades: 2.0% between 2012 and 2013, and 3.7% between 2002 and 2003.
