It is reported that the number of Venezuelans who had to leave their country because they could not meet their daily needs due to the decline in purchasing power, especially in the face of high inflation and the unstoppable increase in exchange rates, exceeded 6.1 million.
According to the April update of the RMRP platform, which consists of 192 non-governmental organizations in 17 countries of Latin America under the leadership of the United Nations Refugee Organization (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of Venezuelan immigrants has reached 6 million 113 thousand 35. Emphasizing that many Venezuelans who had to leave their country have no records in the countries they went to, the platform states that this number could be much higher.
Since 2015, economic, social and political problems have been increasing in Venezuela, which draws attention as the country with the highest number of immigrants in the world after Syria. Venezuelans, who find the solution to migrate to other countries because they cannot meet their essential needs, especially nutrition, shelter and clothing, mostly prefer the neighboring country Colombia. Colombia, which hosts approximately 1.8 million Venezuelan immigrants, is followed by Peru with 1.3 million and Ecuador with 513.9 thousand.
More than 5 million Venezuelan immigrants and refugees in Latin America are reported to be mostly low-income men aged 15 to 29.
“One out of every three Venezuelans has a food security problem”
Noting that the number of Venezuelans living abroad has increased 68 times since 2015, experts note that the migration movement has deepened the socio-economic problems in the countries of the region where they migrated.
David Smolansky, the head of the commission established for Venezuelan immigrants and refugees within the Organization of American States (OAS), draws attention to the fact that 9.3 million people still do not have food security in Venezuela, which has a population of 27 million, according to the data of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). Smolansky states that the immigration problem will remain on the agenda for a while for Venezuela and the countries of the region.
The sectors most affected by the economic crisis in Venezuela, whose economy has shrunk by nearly 80 percent since 2013, are salaried workers and retirees. In the country, where the minimum wage corresponds to approximately $40 per month, non-governmental organizations report that the mandatory kitchen expenses of a family of five are 324 dollars per month.