Washington, June 20 (ANI): Asians have overtaken Latinos as the fastest growing population of US immigrants, according to a new study.

According to the Pew Center study, Asians made up more than 36 percent of all U.S. newcomers in 2010, compared to 31 percent with Hispanics in the same year.

Pew study found that the six largest immigrant Asian immigrant groups to the U.S. were Chinese, Filipinos, Indians, Vietnamese, Koreans and Japanese.

Pew found that 19 percent describe themselves as 'Asian-American' and only 14 percent as 'American', with 62 percent preferring their country of origin or the hyphenate of that country, for example, 'Chinese-American'.

The study found that Asian immigrants were the most educated group of immigrants in U.S. history, The BBC reports.

Analysts say the trend reflects a slowdown in illegal immigration as employers boost their demand for high-skilled workers.

More than 6 in 10 adults who recently arrived from Asia have at least a bachelor's degree, twice the rate of recent non-Asian immigrants.

For an economy that requires higher skills, Asian-Americans are very well positioned, Elaine Chao, a former US Secretary of Labor, said.

Asian-Americans are still considered a small minority in the US, representing less than 6 percent of the total population.

The rise of Asian-Americans in the US society is seen as a chance to build bridges with emerging economies in Asia by many experts. (ANI)