Nigeria ranked fourth among countries whose citizens obtained U.S. citizenship through military naturalisation from 2020 to 2024.
During this period, the U.S. naturalised over 52,000 military service members worldwide. Data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, released on Monday, shows that 3,270 Nigerian-born service members became U.S. citizens, following the Philippines (5,630), Jamaica (5,420), and Mexico (3,670).
The report highlighted that service members from the Philippines, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, and Ghana accounted for over 38% of military naturalisations during this time frame. Additionally, individuals from Haiti, China, Cameroon, Vietnam, and South Korea represented another 16%.
The number of Nigerian service members gaining citizenship steadily increased over the five years: 340 in 2020, 630 in 2021, 680 in 2022, 690 in 2023, and 930 in 2024.
The Army contributed to 60% of military naturalisations, followed by the Navy (20.4%), Air Force (10.6%), and Marine Corps (6.6%), while less than 1% served in the Coast Guard.
Age-wise, half of the naturalised service members were between 22 and 30 years old, with a median age of 27. Over 17% were 21 and younger, and about 5% were over 40.
Regarding gender, men made up 73% of the naturalised service members, though the proportion of women increased slightly over the years.
