In the United States, about 37% of adults 25 and older possess a bachelor’s degree or higher. Considering the U.S. has consistently been a nation of immigrants, it makes sense to wonder which countries send the most college-educated people here, and which send fewer.
The map below, created by @populationdemography based on 2024 American Community Survey data, shows the percentage of immigrants holding a college degree, broken down by country of birth. The data covers all foreign-born US residents aged 25 and older, regardless of when they arrived or their current legal status, including naturalized citizens.
Among US-born adults specifically, 37% hold a college degree. Among immigrants, the numbers run far above and well below that line.
India tops the list at 82%, followed by Saudi Arabia at 81% and Taiwan at 75%, with Singapore at 74%. These numbers reflect how the US immigration pipeline actually works. H-1B work visas, which dominate immigration flows from India and Taiwan, require a college degree by law. Most people arriving from those countries do so through professional or academic channels, which means the immigrant population ends up highly educated almost by design.
Nigeria at 68% is one of the most unexpected numbers on the whole map. Back in Nigeria, only around 10% of the general population holds a college degree, yet Nigerian immigrants in the US are among the most educated of any origin group.
Countries of Birth with the Highest Share of College-Educated Immigrants in the US
Rank
Country of Birth
College Degree (%)
Region
1
India
82%
Asia
2
Saudi Arabia
81%
Middle East
3
Taiwan
75%
Asia
4
Singapore
74%
Asia
5
UAE
69%
Middle East
5
Belgium
69%
Europe
7
Russia
68%
Europe
7
Norway
68%
Europe
7
Egypt
68%
Africa / Middle East
7
Nigeria
68%
Sub-Saharan Africa
Countries of Birth with the Lowest Share of College-Educated Immigrants in the US
Rank
Country of Birth
College Degree (%)
Region
1
El Salvador
9%
Central America
1
Guatemala
9%
Central America
3
Honduras
10%
Central America
3
Mexico
10%
Latin America
5
Bhutan
14%
Asia
6
Laos
15%
Asia
7
Yemen
17%
Middle East
7
Cambodia
17%
Asia
7
Portugal
17%
Europe
10
Somalia
18%
Sub-Saharan Africa
El Salvador and Guatemala come in at just 9%, Honduras and Mexico at 10%. Most immigrants from these countries arrived through humanitarian channels or as economic migrants from rural areas where access to higher education was extremely limited. Portugal at 17% is the most unexpected name in the bottom group. A large share of Portuguese immigrants in the US trace their roots to fishing communities in the Azores Islands, where emigration to the US has been a multi-generational tradition driven by economic necessity rather than academic credentials, concentrated especially in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
