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Emigration from Colombia is a migratory phenomenon that started in the early 20th century.[ citation needed ]
Immigration from Colombia was determined mostly by security issues linked mainly to the Colombian armed conflict. From 1980-2000, emigration from Colombia was one of the largest in volume in Hispanic America. According to the 2005 Colombian census or DANE, about 3,331,107 Colombian citizens currently permanently reside outside of Colombia. [1] [2] Other estimates, however, suggest that the actual number could exceed 4 million, or almost 10 percent of the country's population. [3] Approximately 1.2 million Colombians are believed to have left the country during 2000–5 and not returned. [3]
In 2005, the population movement towards North America and Europe in particular has been motivated in some cases by the threat of violence but more typically by the search for greater economic opportunity. [3] Due to the current sociopolitical situation in Colombia, emigration affects Colombians of all social standings and geographic zones. The highest rates of emigration have been registered in the main urban centers of the interior zone of the country: Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga, Pereira, Manizales, and Cúcuta.[ citation needed ]
Until 2002, external migration was primarily to the United States, Venezuela, Spain and Ecuador. [4] As of 2003, the estimated Colombian population in those countries was 2,020,000, 1,340,000, 240,000, and 193,000, respectively. [4] Panama, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom also have significant (>20,000) populations of Colombian emigrants. [4] In 2003, North America was the destination for 48 percent of Colombian emigrants; Hispanic America and the Caribbean, 40 percent; Europe, 11 percent; and Asia, Oceania, and Africa, 1 percent. [3]
The Colombian diaspora refers to the mass movement of Colombian people who emigrated from the country in search of safety, better quality of life and/or get away from government corruption. Many of those who moved were educated middle and upper middle-class Colombians; because of this, the Colombian diaspora can be referred to as a brain drain. Colombian officials state that this movement peaked in the year 2000 and that the most popular destinations for emigration include North America and Europe. In Europe, Spain has the largest Colombian community on the continent, followed by Italy and the United Kingdom.[ citation needed ] Many Colombians are also dispersed throughout the rest of Hispanic America. Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru and Chile received political refugees in the mid-to-late 20th century, and Colombian guest workers in the early 2000s. The Colombian diaspora can also refer to the large wave of Colombian artists who migrated seeking better opportunities and new, more lucrative markets.
Colombian restaurants and bakeries are important institutions for the Colombian diaspora. These eateries have popularized formerly regional dishes like the well-portioned Bandeja paisa, Ajiaco among Colombians from all parts of the country.
Regions with significant populations
| Country | Population | Rank | Population [5] | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States | 2,458,468 [6] | 1 | 753,847 | 2 | For further information see Colombian Americans |
 Venezuela | 721,791 [7] | 2 | 988,483 | 1 | |
 Spain | 513,583 [8] | 3 | 350,802 | 3 | Largest community outside the Americas. See Colombians in Spain |
 Mexico | 36,234 [9] | 4 | 36,234 | 4 | For further information see Colombian Mexicans |
 Chile | 146,582 [10] | 5 | 24,427 | 9 | |
 Canada | 96,325 [11] | 6 | 70,405 | 5 | For further information see Colombian Canadians |
 Panama | 41,885 [12] | 7 | 57,051 | 6 | |
 Ecuador | 77,426 [13] | 8 | 200,539 | 4 | |
 Italy | 40,000 [14] | 9 | 40,000 [14] | 8 | |
 Australia | 35,033 [15] | 10 | 16,247 | 14 | For further information see Colombian Australians |
 Argentina | 13,876 | 12 | 8,963 | 18 | For further information see Colombian Argentines |
 France | 100,000 [16] [17] | 13 | |||
 Sweden | 14,055 [18] | 14 | 14,055 | 12 | Second largest Latin American community after Chileans.[ page needed ] |
 United Kingdom | 12,331 [19] | 15 | 22,703 | 10 | Second largest South American community after Brazilians. See Colombians in the United Kingdom |
 Costa Rica | 11,500 | 16 | 21,400 | 12 | |
 Vietnam | 7,275 [20] | 17 | |||
 Israel | 3,127 [21] | 18 | 2,693 | 25 | |
 Netherlands | 19 | 15,455 | 15 | ||
 Switzerland | 12,394 | 16 | |||
 Brazil | 8,395 | 19 | |||
 Norway | 6,131 | 20 | |||
 Peru | 6,086 | 21 | |||
 Denmark | 3,750 | 22 | |||
 Dominican Republic | 3,687 | 23 | |||
 Bolivia | 3,085 | 24 | |||
 Guinea | 2,548 | 26 | |||
 Japan | 2,471 [22] | 27 | |||
 Haiti | 1,758 | 28 | |||
 Austria | 1,728 | 29 | |||
 Belgium | 1,629 | 30 | |||
 Finland | 1,286 | 31 | |||
 New Zealand | 1,228 | 32 | |||
 Guatemala | 1,202 | 33 | |||
 South Africa | 979 | 34 | |||
 Honduras | 876 | 35 | |||
 Portugal | 655 | 36 | |||
 El Salvador | 580 | 37 | |||
 Poland | 562 [23] | 38 | |||
 Nicaragua | 456 | 39 | |||
 Greece | 391 | 40 | |||
 Hungary | 238 | 41 | |||
 Russia | 206 | 42 | |||
 Bahamas | 201 | 43 | |||
 Iceland | 191 | 44 | |||
 Czech Republic | 165 | 45 | |||
 Cuba | 146 | 46 | |||
 Cyprus | 133 | 47 | |||
 Philippines | 128 | 48 | |||
 Romania | 110 | 49 | |||
 Estonia | 85 [24] | 50 | |||
 Slovakia | 56 | 51 | |||
 Turkey | 54 | 52 | |||
 Egypt | 54 | 53 | |||
 Bulgaria | 49 | 54 | |||
 Slovenia | 43 | 55 | |||
 Croatia | 43 | 56 | |||
 Latvia | 30 [25] | 57 | |||
 Jordan | 24 | 58 | |||
 North Macedonia | 6 | 59 | |||
Colombians living abroad—1.5 million of whom departed during the economic downturn between 1996 and 2002—have had a positive effect on the balance of payments thanks to remittances to family and friends at home. [3] According to Colombian newspaper El Tiempo , the value of remittances from Colombians living abroad is ranked third as the main source of foreign money in Colombia and has already surpassed the value of coffee exports.[ citation needed ]
But external migration to the United States or Europe has represented a definite loss of talent and energy because migrants to the developed world tend to be better educated and in the prime of working life. [3] Some estimates would have roughly half the physicians trained in Colombia during certain years, at great expense to fellow Colombian taxpayers, now working in the United States. [3] Then, too, there are communities (as in Mexico, for example) that have been so drained of young workers that they find themselves dependent on the flow of remittances. [3] Several municipalities in the vicinity of Pereira in western Colombia, hard hit by troubles in the coffee industry and the competition of cheap Asian labor in garment exporting, exemplify the latter phenomenon. [3]
The Colombian government has developed prevention programs against illegal groups that offer emigration help to unsuspecting people, many of whom are eventually forced into slavery, forced prostitution and human trafficking in foreign countries.[ citation needed ]
As of 7 November 2024, Spain had a total population of 48,946,035 The modern Kingdom of Spain arose from the accretion of several independent Iberian realms, including the Kingdoms of León, Castile, Navarre, the Crown of Aragon and Granada, all of which, together with the modern state of Portugal, were successor states to the late antique Christian Visigothic Kingdom after the Reconquista.
The South African diaspora consists of South African emigrants and their descendants living outside South Africa. The largest concentrations of South African emigrants are to be found in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. At the time of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 217,180 residents of England and Wales were born in South Africa. In Australia, there were 189,207 South African-born people living in the country at the moment of the 2021 Census. The 2021 American Community Survey identified 123,461 South African-born residents of the country.
Colombians are people identified with the country of Colombia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Colombians, several of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Colombian.
Immigration to Spain increased significantly in the beginning of the 21st century. In 1998, immigrants accounted for 1.6% of the population, and by 2009, that number had risen to over 12%. Until 2014, the numbers were decreasing due to the economic crisis, but since 2015, immigration to Spain has increased again, especially after 2021.
Overseas Pakistanis, or the Pakistani diaspora, refer to Pakistanis who live outside of Pakistan. These include citizens who have migrated to another country as well as people born abroad of Pakistani descent. According to a December 2017 estimate by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, approximately 8.8 million Pakistanis live abroad. Data released in 2023 by the Ministry of Emigration and Overseas Employment states that more than 10.80 million people have moved abroad since 1990.
Venezuelans are the citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connections exist and are the source of their Venezuelan citizenship or their bond to Venezuela.
Romanians form the second largest group of foreigners in Spain, after Moroccans. As of 2023, there were 630,795 Romanian citizens living in Spain. Most of the immigration took place given economic reasons. The linguistic similarities between Romanian and Spanish, as well as Romanians' Latin identity, are also a reason for the country's attractiveness to Romanians.
Iranians in Spain have a history going back for over a millennium and form a minor population in modern day. They are a part of the Iranian diaspora.
The demographics of Colombia consist of statistics regarding Colombians' health, economic status, religious affiliations, ethnicity, population density, and other aspects of the population. Colombia is the second-most populous country in South America after Brazil, and the third-most populous in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico.
Dominican Argentines are Argentine citizens of partial or full Dominican descent, or Dominican citizens who have migrated to and settled in Argentina. Although sources vary, as of 2013 were are an estimate 40,000 Dominican-Argentines, according to community organization Asociación de Dominicanos Residentes en Argentina.
Venezuelans form one of the main immigrant groups in Spain, which is also the European country to which most Venezuelans choose to migrate because of shared language, customs and family ties. Similarly to nationals from other countries of Ibero-America, Venezuelans of origin are allowed to apply for dual Spanish citizenship after two years of legal residence in Spain. In addition, Venezuelans who are children or grandchildren of Spanish citizens can legally obtain Spanish citizenship from their countries of origin, an option open to over 3 million Venezuelans.
Argentines in Spain are the largest community of Argentines abroad. In Spain, they represent one of the largest immigrant groups in the country.
The presence of Colombians in Spain dates back to Colombian independence from Spain.
The Venezuelan refugee crisis, the largest recorded refugee crisis in the Americas, refers to the emigration of millions of Venezuelans from their native country during the presidencies of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro since the Bolivarian Revolution. The revolution was an attempt by Chávez and later Maduro to establish a cultural and political hegemony, which culminated in the crisis in Venezuela. The resulting refugee crisis has been compared to those faced by Cuban exiles, Syrian refugees and those affected by the European migrant crisis. The Bolivarian government has denied any migratory crisis, stating that the United Nations and others are attempting to justify foreign intervention within Venezuela.
Dominicans in Spain from the Dominican Republic make up about 1.66% of all foreigners in Spain, this includes immigrants and people of Dominican descent born in Spain. The first country of destination for Dominicans in Europe is Spain, and it is the country with the most Dominican migrants outside of the United States.
Latin American migration to Europe is the diaspora of Latin Americans to the continent of Europe, dating back to the first decades of the Spanish and Portuguese empires in the Americas. Latin Americans in Europe are now a rapidly growing group consisting of immigrants from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. It may also include individuals from certain French-speaking territories depending on the definition of Latin America used.
Italians in Spain are one the largest communities of immigrant groups in Spain, with 260,000 Italian citizens in the country, of which 143,000 were born in Italy.
Colombian Argentines are Argentine citizens of partial or full Colombian descent, or Colombian citizens who have migrated to and settled in Argentina. As of 2023, there were 119,000 Colombians living in Argentina, most of whom migrated during the 2010s.
Peruvian Argentines are Argentine citizens of partial or full peruvians descent, or Peruvian citizens who have migrated to and settled in Argentina.
The Algerian diaspora comprises the population of Algerian origin or nationality living outside the country, mainly in France but also in the rest of the world. It is largely the result of the high rate of emigration that Algeria has experienced since the end of World War II in 1945, and the freedom granted by the French colonial administration to Algerians to settle in metropolitan France starting from 1947.
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