US population is diversifying, census shows

Expert cites immigration, lower fertility among native groups as some of reasons

Racial demographics in the United States are changing fast and becoming more diverse, as new figures show Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, will be the last with a white majority.

The number of non-Hispanic white people will fall below half the population by 2045, US Census data predicted. The changes in the country's racial demographics are being driven by a growth in the Latino, Asian and mixed-race populations and low birthrates and aging among white people, experts say.

Richard Alba, a sociologist and distinguished professor emeritus in the Graduate Center of City University in New York and the sociology department at the State University of New York in Albany, said the changes are keenly followed because of the country's history.