Summary

The migrant exodus from Venezuela is fueling new political and economic risks in neighboring countries.

The latest estimate from the UNHCR puts the number of refugees at 3.4 million, or approx. 10% of Venezuela’s population. That’s an increase of 400,000 from the last official tally in November 2018.

Over the course of 2018, an average of 5,000 people left the country every day.

The vast majority of these migrants have made their way to neighboring countries. Colombia is currently hosting the most refugees, with over 1.1 million, followed by Peru (506k), Chile (288k), Ecuador (221k), Argentina (130k), and Brazil (96k).

Though Latin American countries have for the most part welcome the displaced and attempted to provide for them whenever possible, the scale of the inflows are overwhelming local communities and fueling new economic and social tensions.