Nigeria has emerged as the fourth-highest country of origin for service members granted U.S. citizenship through military naturalization between 2020 and 2024, according to data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Between 2020 and 2024, the United States naturalized over 52,000 military service members from various countries.
Among them, 3,270 Nigerian-born service members were granted U.S. citizenship, placing Nigeria behind the Philippines (5,630), Jamaica (5,420), and Mexico (3,670).
The top five countries—Philippines, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, and Ghana—accounted for over 38% of all military naturalizations during this period.
The next five countries—Haiti, China, Cameroon, Vietnam, and South Korea—made up an additional 16%.
The number of Nigerian-born service members receiving U.S. citizenship has steadily risen over the past five years. In 2020, 340 Nigerian service members naturalized, a number that increased each year: 630 in 2021, 680 in 2022, 690 in 2023, and 930 in 2024.
The report also highlighted that the U.S. Army was the largest contributor to military naturalizations, accounting for 60% of all cases during the period, followed by the Navy (20.4%), Air Force (10.6%), and Marine Corps (6.6%). Less than 1% of naturalized service members were from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Age demographics show that half of the naturalized service members were between 22 and 30 years old, with a median age of 27. Notably, 17% of the naturalized service members were 21 or younger, while nearly 5% were over 40.
Gender-wise, men made up the majority of those naturalized, accounting for 73% of all military naturalizations. However, the proportion of female service members undergoing naturalization increased over the years.
This steady rise in naturalizations reflects a growing trend of foreign-born service members choosing to serve in the U.S. military and gain citizenship through their service, marking an important demographic shift in the U.S. armed forces.