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ARTÍCULO DE REVISIÓN / REVIEW ARTICLE
Rev Neuropsiquiatr. 2022; 85(2): 107-116
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Atribución 4.0 Internacional.
¹ Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Lima, Perú,
² Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. Rochester, MN, USA,
³ Clínica Anglo Americana. Lima, Perú,
4 Universidad de Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.
5 Universidad de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador.
6 Latino Clínica. Cuenca, Ecuador.
7 Ponticia Universidad Javeriana. Bogotá, Colombia.
8 Clínica de la Mujer. Bogotá, Colombia.
a Psychiatrist, Master in Public Health. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7316-1185
b Psychiatrist. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5615-2076
c Psychiatrist. ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1376-4782
d Psychiatrist, Magister in Higher Education. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0735-4894
e Psychiatrist, Magister in Health Research. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1718-8367
f Psychologist, Magister in Health Research. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6497-6518
g Psychiatrist. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6617-4121
Venezuelan Migration in Latin America: History
and sociodemographic aspects.
Migración Venezolana en América Latina: Historia y Aspectos Socio-Demográcos.
Renato D. Alarcón 1,2, a, Antonio Lozano-Vargas 1,3,b, Elvia Velásquez 4,c, Silvia Gaviria 4,d, José Ordoñez-
Mancheno 5,6,e , Miriam Lucio 5,f, Alina Uribe 7,8,g
SUMMARY
The migration of millions of Venezuelans to South American countries in the last two or three decades is one of
the most signicant social phenomena in the continent’s history. This article presents a brief historical account
of the process and describes a variety of dramatic aspects of the migrants’ experiences throughout the long road
towards Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and other countries. The main socio-demographic characteristics of the migrant
population (numbers, population types, geographic location in the host country, age, gender and civil status, work and
employment) in the above three countries, are described as a relevant basis of further inquiries on the repercussions
of migration on the mental health of its protagonists. The information covers important aspects of the journey and
the arrival as the initiation of a painful and uncertain process of acculturation and adaptation.
KEYWORDS: Migration, demography, host societies, acculturation.
RESUMEN
La migración de millones de venezolanos a países sudamericanos en las últimas dos o tres décadas constituye uno
de los fenómenos sociales más signicativos en la historia del continente. El presente artículo formula un breve
recuento histórico del proceso y describe odiseas de diversa naturaleza, experimentadas por los migrantes en el
Rev Neuropsiquiatr. 2022; 85(2): 107-116
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20453/rnp.v85i2.4228
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Alarcón R, et al.
Rev Neuropsiquiatr. 2022; 85(2): 107-116
extenso recorrido hacia Colombia, Ecuador, Perú y otros países. Como base relevante de futuras investigaciones
en torno a repercusiones de la migración en la salud mental de sus protagonistas, se examinan las principales
características socio-demográcas (cifras, tipos de población, ubicación geográca en el país receptor, edad, género
y estado civil, trabajos y empleos) de los migrantes en Colombia, Ecuador y Perú. La información cubre aspectos
importantes de la travesía y el arribo que generan un doloroso e incierto proceso de aculturación y adaptación.
PALABRAS-CLAVE: Migración, demografía, sociedades antrionas, aculturación.
INTRODUCTION
The 21st Century has undoubtedly accentuated the
strength and the multiple impact of Globalization, a
process that, essentially, entails a pragmatic erasure
(or substantial modication) of frontiers and the
opening of ambiguous routes toward concepts like
“universal citizenship”, “diversity” or “identity” (1,2).
Technology and migrations are, in turn, prominent
epistemological pillars of Globalization (3): the
former, with primarily instrumental bases, supports
areas of communication, transportation, geographic
exploration, and scientic development (4); the latter,
characterized by mobilization and interactions, either
voluntary or obligated but always massive and intense,
of human groups until then distant from each other,
create new demographic, civic, political, economic
and socio-cultural realities (5).
Migrations have taken place from the beginning of
human history. The intense change of vital everyday
scenarios for migrants provokes intrapersonal and
interpersonal disturbances, confrontation with
conictive realities, and not always favorable outcomes
(6, 7). These experiences, lived for by migrants proper,
internal and external displaced people and refugees, do
have a critically relevant impact at individual, familial
and socio-political levels (3,4,5).
It is estimated that a little