Colombian diaspora

Colombian diaspora refers to the mass movement of Colombian people who have 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. However, significant numbers of poor Colombians have also been documented. Colombian officials state that this movement peaked in the year 2000 and that the most popular destinations for emigration include the United States, Ecuador, Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama and Venezuela. In Europe, Spain has the largest Colombian community on the continent, followed by the United Kingdom, while tens of thousands of Colombian immigrants live in Germany, Italy, France and The Netherlands^[1]. Many Colombians are also dispersed throughout the rest of Latin America. Mexico, Argentina 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 new wave of Colombian artists who have migrated seeking better opportunities and new, more lucrative markets.

In recent years, the emigration of Colombians has decreased due to improvements in both quality of life and the Colombian economy^{[citation needed]}.

Top Colombian diaspora populations

Country	Population	Rank	Notes
Venezuela	4,186,000[2]	1	Largest expatriate Colombian community
USA	730,684[3]	2
Spain	280,000	3	Largest community outside the Americas
UK	90,000 - 160,000	4	Second Largest South American community after Brazilians. see Colombian British
Ecuador	150,000	5
Canada	44,100[4]	6
Costa Rica	30,000	7
Mexico	18,000	8
Australia	5,000	9	See Colombian Australian

Except where otherwise noted, this table was created in accordance with statistics from the Colombian bureau of immigration and emigration.

See also

• Republic of Colombia
• Colombian American
• Colombian British
• Colombian Australian
• Afro-Colombian
• Movies depicting Colombia
• Colombian Armed Conflict
• Immigration to Colombia

People

• Juanes
• Shakira
• Fernando Botero
• Gabriel García Márquez
• Nina Garcia
• Tito the Builder
• Sofia Vergara
• Alirio Díaz Guerra, Colombian American writer, author of Lucas Guevara

References

1. ^ Myriam Bérubé, Colombia: In the Crossfire, Migration Information Source
2. ^ http://www.radiomundial.com.ve/yvke/noticia.php?3741
3. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFIteratedFacts?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US04000US36&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=04000US36&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=040&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=417&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1040&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1040%3A417&_keyword=&_industry=
4. ^ http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000