The Venezuelan Exodus

In Brief

The Venezuelan Exodus

More than three million Venezuelans have fled poverty, hunger, violence, and persecution in recent years, journeying throughout the Americas and Southern Europe.

More on:

Venezuela

Refugees and Displaced Persons

Immigration and Migration

Nicolas Maduro

Geopolitics of Energy

Venezuela is in the midst of an unprecedented political and economic crisis, the effects of which are rippling across the hemisphere and beyond. Wracked by hyperinflation, severe food and medicine shortages, soaring crime rates, and an increasingly authoritarian executive, more than 3.3 million Venezuelans—approximately 10 percent of the population—have fled the country in the past four years. Some 460,000 have claimed asylum from political persecution and violence, and another 1.8 million have gained other forms of residency. Hundreds of thousands of others, however, lack legal residency, and with it, access to employment, education, and social services. It is one of the largest and swiftest mass migrations in Latin America’s history, and the United Nations has characterized the situation as a humanitarian crisis [PDF].

Where do migrants go?

More From Our Experts

Approximately eight out of every ten Venezuelan migrants stay in Latin America and the Caribbean, while most of the remainder settle in North America and Southern Europe. Neighboring Colombia and Peru are the largest recipients of Venezuelans, followed by the United States, Chile, Ecuador, and Spain. The intensification of migrant flows has strained the capacity of host countries to provide basic services.

Map showing destination countries of Venezuelan migrants and refugees

 

More on:

Venezuela

Refugees and Displaced Persons

Immigration and Migration

Nicolas Maduro

Geopolitics of Energy

Close

Top Stories on CFR

Immigration and Migration

Dara Lind, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the record surge in migrants and asylum seekers crossing the U.S. southern border.

Center for Preventive Action

Every January, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the year ahead and measures their potential impact. For the first time, the survey anticipates that this year, 2024, the United States will contend not only with a slew of global threats, but also a high risk of upheaval within its own borders. Is the country prepared for the eruption of election-related instability at home while wars continue to rage abroad?

Central America