Migration from Northwestern Europe to the US 1820-1957

Over 13 million people legally migrated from Northern and Western Europe to the United States between 1820 and 19257. The majority of these migrants came from the British Isles, with over 4.6 million migrants coming from the island of Ireland, and over 4.5 million from Great Britain. After this there were just under 2.5 million immigrants from Scandinavia, and almost 1.5 million from the rest of Northwest Europe. The period with the highest levels of migration from Northwest Europe to the US was in the 1880s, as the Long Depression, increased industrialization and harsh winters continued to weaken Europe's agricultural sector, prompting many (mostly young men and their families) to migrate to the US in search of economic opportunities there. The period around 1850 also saw increased migration from Northwest Europe to the US, however the majority of this was due to the Great Famine in Ireland, which caused the death of over one million people due to starvation or famine-related illnesses, while another one million people migrated abroad to escape the hardships brought by the famine. The early 1930s saw the period with the lowest levels of emigration from Europe to the US, as the Great Depression made it difficult and impractical to migrate to the United States.