Colombia hosts 35.89% of Venezuelan migrants

Data from international organizations indicate that at least 7.8 million Venezuelans have left their country over the last 13 years due to forced migration. Colombia hosts the largest portion of this diaspora, accounting for 35.89% of the total Venezuelan migrant population. Official records from Migración Colombia show that 2,844,488 Venezuelans reside in the country.

Major urban centers in Colombia hosting these migrants include Bogotá with 597,475 people, Medellín with 243,474, Cúcuta with 218,144, and Barranquilla with 137,377. Other significant populations are located in Cali and Cartagena.

In response to a decade of this migratory crisis, the Venezuela Observatory of the Universidad del Rosario, in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, has worked with the Colombian state to develop strategic insights for sustainable migration policy. A new publication, ‘10 years of Colombia’s response to Venezuelan migration’, documents the actions implemented by the state to manage these flows between 2015 and 2025, emphasizing the need for long-term integration efforts.