Venezuelan diaspora

Venezuelan diaspora
Diáspora venezolana
World map of the Venezuelan diaspora
Total population
8 - 9 million (est.)
Regions with significant populations
Colombia2,875,743[1]
Peru1,542,004[2]
Chile728,586[3]
Spain692,316[4]
Brazil626,885[5]
Ecuador474,945[6]
United States259,000–500,000[7]
Argentina220,000[8]
Italy150,000[9]
Trinidad and Tobago130,000
Portugal100,000[10]
Mexico95,000[11]
Dominican Republic90,000[12]
Panama80,000[11]
Canada34,000[13]
France30,000[10]
Costa Rica25,000[14]
Germany20,000[10]
Paraguay20,000[15]
Curaçao16,000[16]
Other destinations
Languages
Venezuelan Spanish
Religion
Christianity (Roman Catholicism)
Related ethnic groups
Brazilian diaspora, Mexican diaspora
Emigration is caused by social issues, political repression, crime, economic downturn, corruption, censorship and others.[29][30][31]

In times of economic and political crisis since the 2010s, Venezuelans have often fled to other countries in the Americas and beyond to establish a more sustainable life.

The Venezuelan diaspora is estimated to be as high as 8 to 9 million people as of late 2025, out of a country of about 32 million.[32][33] It is the largest South American diaspora in the world.

History

19th century

Further information: Antisemitism in Venezuela

In 1827, a group of Jews moved from Curaçao and settled in Coro, Venezuela.[34] In 1855, rioting in the area forced the entire Jewish population, 168 individuals, back to Curaçao.[34] Assimilation of Jews in Venezuela was difficult, though small communities could be found in Puerto Cabello, Villa de Cura, Carupano, Rio Chico, Maracaibo, and Barquisimeto.[34]

20th century

During World War II, the Venezuelan government broke relations with the Axis powers in 1942, with many groups consisting of hundreds of German-Venezuelans leaving Venezuela to be repatriated into Nazi Germany.[35]

In the early 1980s, the Venezuelan government had invested much into the country's infrastructure and communications, though by the mid-1980s when Venezuela faced economic difficulties and inequality increased, some Venezuelans emigrated.[36] Again, at the peak of Venezuela's socioeconomic difficulties in the late 1990s, Venezuelans began to emigrate once more, with some attempting to enter the United States legally and illegally.[37]

21st century

Venezuelan refugee crisis

Main article: Venezuelan refugee crisis

During the Bolivarian Revolution, many Venezuelans have sought residence in other countries. According to Newsweek, the "Bolivarian diaspora is a reversal of fortune on a massive scale" as compared to the 20th century, when "Venezuela was a haven for immigrants fleeing Old World repression and intolerance".[30] El Universal explained how the "Bolivarian diaspora" in Venezuela has been caused by the "deterioration of both the economy and the social fabric, rampant crime, uncertainty and lack of hope for a change in leadership in the near future".[29]

In 1998, the year Chavez was first elected, only 14 Venezuelans were granted U.S. asylum. By September 1999, 1,086 Venezuelans were granted asylum according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.[38] It has been calculated that from 1998 to 2013, over 1.5 million Venezuelans (between 4% and 6% of the Venezuela's total population) left the country following the Bolivarian Revolution.[39] Former Venezuelan residents have been driven by lack of freedom, high levels of insecurity, and inadequate opportunities in the country, risking their lives sometimes walking the Darien Gap.[39][40] It has also been reported that some parents in Venezuela encourage their children to leave the country because of the insecurities Venezuelans face.[40][41] This has led to significant human capital flight in Venezuela.[29][39][42]

By late 2025, the UNHCR reported that approximately 7.9 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants were residing worldwide, with the majority in Latin America.[32]

Brazil's Operation Welcome

In 2018, the Brazilian Army launched Operation Welcome to help Venezuelan immigrants arriving in the state of Roraima, which borders Venezuela.[43][44][45]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Venezuelans, a development opportunity | Colombia".
  2. ^ "Los mapas que muestran en qué países de América Latina están los migrantes venezolanos". BBC. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Estimaciones de extranjeros". Government of Chile. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Población residente por fecha, sexo, grupo de edad y país de nacimiento".
  5. ^ "Refugiados y migrantes de Venezuela".
  6. ^ "Venezuelans, a development opportunity | Ecuador".
  7. ^ El Universal
  8. ^ "Miles de venezolanos celebran en Buenos Aires la captura de Maduro por parte de EE.UU".
  9. ^ "Venezolanos en el exterior".
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Últimas Noticias (2014), Venezolanos en el exterior".
  11. ^ a b "El desgarrador éxodo de los venezolanos, en números". Infobae. 3 September 2019.
  12. ^ "Más de 90 mil venezolanos ingresaron a RD por diferentes aeropuertos en 2019".
  13. ^ "¿Cuántos venezolanos hay en Canadá y en Québec?".
  14. ^ "REPORTE DE FLUJOS MIGRATORIOS EN CENTROAMÉRICA, NORTEAMÉRICA Y EL CARIBE" (PDF). International Organization for Migration. June 2018.
  15. ^ "Venezolanos en Paraguay: Hay 828 con radicación y 58 piden refugio".
  16. ^ Ebus, Bram (13 November 2018). "Venezuelan migrants live in shadows on Caribbean's sunshine islands". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  17. ^ "En 2019 crecerá un 30% la llegada de venezolanos". El País (in Spanish). 20 December 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  18. ^ "Immigration to Vietnam". Data Basical Immigrants. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  19. ^ "As crisis deepens, more Venezuelans are emigrating to Lebanon". NBC News.
  20. ^ "En 2019 crecerá un 30% la llegada de venezolanos". El País (in Spanish). 20 December 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "United Nations Population Division: Department of Economic and Social Affairs". United Nations Population Division. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Over 5000 Venezuelan migrants in Guyana". Guyana Times. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  23. ^ "Guatemala exigirá visa a los migrantes venezolanos". El Nacional (in Spanish). 19 March 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  24. ^ "Más de 4 mil venezolanos llegaron a Bolivia en 2018, el doble que en 2017". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). 15 February 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  25. ^ "Folkmängden efter födelseland, ålder och kön. År 2000 - 2021". SCB. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  26. ^ Approximate of Venezuelans living in Japan
  27. ^ "Venezolanos en El Salvador respaldan a Juan Guaidó y exigen la salida de Maduro". EFE (in Spanish). 30 April 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  28. ^ "Venezolanos residentes en Honduras piden a sus compatriotas no dejar la lucha". La Prensa (in Spanish). 23 January 2019.
  29. ^ a b c Olivares, Francisco (13 September 2014). "Best and brightest for export". El Universal. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  30. ^ a b "Hugo Chavez is Scaring Away Talent". Newsweek. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  31. ^ "Ten percent of Venezuelans are taking steps for emigrating". El Universal. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  32. ^ a b "Venezuela situation". UNHCR. Archived from the original on 21 July 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  33. ^ "Observatorio estima que más de 9 millones de venezolanos migraron: una cifra mayor a la reportada por Acnur". 18 June 2025.
  34. ^ a b c Krusch, David. "The Virtual Jewish World: Venezuela". Jewish Virtual Library. American–Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  35. ^ "More Germans Quit Venezuela: Page 22". The New York Times. 27 December 1942.
  36. ^ Jones, Richard C (April 1982). "Regional Income Inequalities and Government Investment in Venezuela". Regional Income Inequalities and the Journal of Developing Areas. 16 (3): 373.
  37. ^ Paulin, David (6 April 1997). "Venezulans in US fleeing poverty: Rising crime, inflation spur emigration: A, 10:3". The Boston Globe.
  38. ^ Brown, Tom (16 July 2007). "Venezuelans, fleeing Chavez, seek U.S. safety net". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  39. ^ a b c Maria Delgado, Antonio (28 August 2014). "Venezuela agobiada por la fuga masiva de cerebros". El Nuevo Herald. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  40. ^ a b "El 90% de los venezolanos que se van tienen formación universitaria". El Impulso. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  41. ^ Montilla K., Andrea (4 July 2014). "Liceístas pasan de grado sin cursar varias materias". El Nacional. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  42. ^ "Venezuela, migraciones y desplazamientos humanos". 23 May 2003.
  43. ^ "Operação Acolhida, realizada na fronteira com a Venezuela, terá apoio do quartel de Caxias do Sul | Pioneiro". GZH (in Brazilian Portuguese). 8 April 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  44. ^ Desideri, Leonardo. "O que é a Operação Acolhida, que recebe venezuelanos no Brasil". Gazeta do Povo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  45. ^ [https://tallerdeletras.letras.uc.cl/index.php/TL/article/view/56511/45813 Guerrero, Javier,.2 Review. Pais Portatil. Review : Literature and Arts of the Americas, Volumen 54, Número 2 (2021)
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