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This country profile outlines the historical trends that have defined Colombia’s migration history and policy, and examines the current and future migration challenges facing a country unsteadily emerging from war.Ĭonsidered a strategic gateway to South America, the area now encompassed by Colombia began experiencing migration from Mesoamerica as early as 14,000 BC, providing a passage for hunter-gatherers to gradually populate other parts of the continent in the pre-Columbian era. Colombia is also grappling with a number of international migration issues, including transiting flows of irregular migrants from beyond the continent and a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. In recent years Colombia has worked to attract highly skilled foreign labor, in line with an economic model that prioritizes foreign investment.Īs the country enters a post-conflict phase and turns its focus to peace and stability, addressing the main causes of internal displacement and developing effective strategies to improve immigration services will be key. Faced with a sizeable diaspora, the Andean country has slowly adopted a comprehensive migration system targeted at improving services for emigrants. Instead, millions of Colombians sought refuge abroad or emigrated in search of better opportunities during that period. Historically known for large-scale emigration, Colombia experienced little immigration during the 19 th and 20 th centuries as a result of conditions including political violence, recurring economic crises, excess labor, and poor infrastructure. Ongoing violence by other guerrilla and paramilitary groups is making return difficult for these refugees. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Colombians are estimated to live abroad as refugees, primarily in neighboring countries.

Violence-driven displacement in rural areas has given Colombia the dubious distinction of hosting the most internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world, with 7.3 million individuals registered as of 2016-more than 15 percent of the national population.

Approved by Congress after four years of negotiations between the Colombian government and the left-wing rebel group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the historic peace deal ended the longest-running civil conflict in the Western Hemisphere, one that has taken a huge toll on Colombian society, most profoundly in the area of migration. In December 2016, Colombia formally brought to a close a 52-year civil war that resulted in the deaths of more than 220,000 people, the flight of more than 7.6 million within and beyond the country’s borders, and an incalculable cost to the economy and public well-being.