Emigration from Colombia


Emigration from Colombia was a migratory phenomenon that was taking place in Colombia from the early 20th century until these days.

Overview

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. Other estimates, however, suggest that the actual number could exceed 4 million, or almost 10 percent of the country's population. Approximately 1.2 million Colombians are believed to have left the country during 2000–5 and not returned.
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. 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.

Destinations

Until 2002, external migration was primarily to the United States, Venezuela and Spain. As of 2003, the estimated Colombian population in those countries was 2,020,000, 1,340,000, 240,000, and 193,000, respectively. Panama, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom also have significant populations of Colombian emigrants. 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.
The Colombian diaspora refers to the mass movement of Colombian people who emigrated from the country in search of safety and/or a better quality of life. 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. 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 among Colombians from all parts of the country.

Top Colombian diaspora populations

Regions with significant populations
CountryPopulationRankPopulationRankNotes
1,081,8381753,8472For further information see Colombian Americans
721,7912988,4831
354,4613350,8023Largest community outside the Americas. See Colombians in Spain
146,582424,4279
76,580570,4055For further information see Colombian Canadians
41,885657,0516
77,4267200,5394
40,000840,0008
13,922920,65813For further information see Colombian Mexicans
13,876108,96318
100,00011---
12,8651212,86512Second largest Latin American community after Chileans.
12,3311322,70310Second largest South American community after Brazilians. See Colombians in the United Kingdom
11,5001421,40012
11,3181516,24714For further information see Colombian Australians
3,127162,69325
22,19011
15,45515
12,39416
8,39519
6,13120
6,08621
3,75022
3,68723
3,08524
2,54826
1,75827
1,72828
1,62929
1,28630
1,22831
1,20232
97933
87634
65535
58036
45637
39138
23839
20640
20141
19142
16543
14644
13345
12846
12847
11048
5649
5450
5451
4952
4353
4354
2455
1056
757
658

Social and economic impact

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. 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.
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. 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. Then, too, there are communities that have been so drained of young workers that they find themselves dependent on the flow of remittances. 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.

Human trafficking

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.