Over 3,200 Nigerian-born service members gained U.S. citizenship between 2020 and 2024
Nigeria has been ranked fourth among countries whose citizens gained U.S. citizenship through military service from 2020 to 2024.
During this period, the United States naturalized over 52,000 military service members, with 3,270 Nigerians among them. According to data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, only the Philippines (5,630), Jamaica (5,420), and Mexico (3,670) had higher numbers of naturalized service members.
“Service members born in the Philippines, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, and Ghana — the top five countries of birth among those naturalized — comprised over 38% of the naturalizations since FY 2020,” the report stated.
The data also revealed a steady rise in the number of Nigerians gaining U.S. citizenship through military service over the past five years.
- 2020: 340
- 2021: 630
- 2022: 680
- 2023: 690
- 2024: 930
The Army played a dominant role, accounting for 60% of all military naturalizations. Other branches included the Navy (20.4%), Air Force (10.6%), Marine Corps (6.6%), and Coast Guard (less than 1%).
“Service members from the Army (including National Guard and Reserves) comprised almost two-thirds (60%) of all military naturalizations from FY 2020 to FY 2024,” the report highlighted.
The age distribution showed that most naturalized service members were young adults.
- Half were aged between 22 and 30.
- The median age was 27.
- Over 17% were 21 or younger, while nearly 5% were over 40.
Gender data indicated that men made up 73% of the naturalized service members, though the proportion of female service members has increased slightly in recent years.
