3,270 Nigerians gain U.S. citizenship through military service
Over 3,200 Nigerians have become U.S. citizens through military service between 2020 and 2024, making Nigeria the fourth-highest country on the list.
The United States naturalised over 52,000 service members during this period, according to data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The top three countries with the highest military naturalisations were the Philippines with 5,630, Jamaica with 5,420, and Mexico with 3,670.
Together with Nigeria and Ghana, these five countries accounted for over 38% of all military naturalisations in the last four years.
The number of Nigerians gaining U.S. citizenship through the military has steadily increased, starting with 340 in 2020 and reaching 930 in 2024.
Most of these service members served in the U.S. Army, which accounted for 60% of military naturalisations. Other branches included the Navy (20.4%), Air Force (10.6%), and Marine Corps (6.6%).
The report revealed that most naturalised service members were aged between 22 and 30, with a median age of 27. About 17% were 21 or younger, and only 5% were older than 40.
Gender distribution showed that men made up 73% of those naturalised, though the proportion of women has slightly increased over the years.
