Immigrants in Colombia: Which Are the Largest Foreign Communities?

Colombia has received a significant number of immigrants over the last year. Despite mostly becoming an emigration country since the last century, the departure of millions of Colombians from their homeland has also been balanced by the arrival of many foreigners to the country. Historically, the current Colombian population is mostly descended from waves over centuries of people who migrated from the Mediterranean (Spaniards, Italians, Lebanese, etc.) and mixed with local Indigenous populations as well as Africans brought as slaves. Up until the 2000s, the number of foreigners remained below 100,000 individuals, but now stands at over 3 million people.

Largest immigrant groups in Colombia

Chinese

The Chinese community is one of the most important foreign diasporas established in Colombia. With a presence dating back to the 19th century, the number of Chinese immigrants has increased over recent decades, with an estimated 24,000 people in 2014 according to representatives of the local Chinese community. Chinese have left their mark on popular Colombian culture and gastronomy through their restaurants adapted to local tastes. “Arroz chino,” for example, has become one of the most emblematic dishes of fast, street food culture in Colombia.

Italians

Italians are a historic and important foreign community in Colombia. An estimated 2 million Colombians can trace their roots back to Italy, including President Gustavo Petro, whose great-grandfather emigrated from southern Italy to Colombia. According to a 2023 report by Fondazione Migrantes, there are 22,107 Italian citizens living in Colombia. Italian migration to the country can be traced back to the colonial period, but the most significant waves occurred during the 19th and 20th centuries. Most Italians are found in major Colombian cities, including Barranquilla, Cartagena de Indias, Medellin, Bogota, and Cali.

Spaniards

Spaniards are one of the most important immigrant communities in Colombia. According to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics, as of January 1, 2023, there were officially 44,925 Spanish citizens living in Colombia, a figure that has been growing over recent years. Colombia has historically been one of the main destination countries for Spanish immigrants since the time of conquests and colonization in the Americas. Nearly all Colombians have Spanish ancestry. While the phenomenon of Spanish immigration is old, it has continued to this day, although in smaller proportions. Today, it is fueled either by the search for opportunities or a better quality of life for the youth, or the desire to invest and enjoy a golden retirement for the older generation. Like most Western expats and immigrants, Spaniards are settled in large cities such as Bogota or Medellin.

Americans

Despite being relatively few in number, American citizens are among the main immigrant communities residing in Colombia. Their number is difficult to estimate—several tens of thousands. According to the Greenback Expat Tax Services Agency, the figure is around 60,000. Back in January, during a diplomatic clash with President Trump, President Petro claimed that there were 15,660 US citizens residing illegally in the country. Most U.S. expats live in big cities like Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena de Indias, Cali, or Barranquilla. A significant portion of these immigrants are themselves of Colombian descent, as millions of U.S. citizens can trace their roots back to Colombia.

Arabs

Arab-Colombians are, after Spaniards, the most important foreign community in Colombia, having deeply shaped the country’s gastronomy, culture, politics, and genetics. Arab-Colombians comprise three main nationalities: Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians. The core migration occurred at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, with Christian Arabs fleeing persecution from the collapsing Ottoman Empire and the new Turkish Republic. While immigrants in Colombia are relatively difficult to count, this is even more true for Arab-Colombians. In total, across four generations of Arab-Colombians, according to Colombia’s Department of Statistics, their number is estimated at 3.2 million individuals, including beauty queen Gabriela Tafur, superstar Shakira, and former president Miguel Turbay. Today, the exact number of immigrants born in the Middle East is unknown but is estimated to be in the tens of thousands, mainly established on the Caribbean Coast (Barranquilla, Maicao, Cartagena de Indias, Cordoba Department) and in Bogota or Cali.

Venezuelans

Venezuelans are by far the largest immigrant and foreign community living in Colombia. According to Colombia’s migratory authority, as of December 2024, there were 2,815,611 Venezuelans registered in the country. Historically, it was Colombians who immigrated en masse to Venezuela during its golden age in the second half of the 20th century. After the economic and political crisis that struck the country starting in 2016, millions of Venezuelans fled to Colombia to find economic opportunities or simply to survive. Most Venezuelans are established in Bogotá and its surroundings, in the Medellin metropolitan area, the Caribbean coast, and neighboring departments like Norte de Santander and Santander. An often overlooked fact is that a significant portion of Venezuelan immigrants in Colombia have Colombian ancestry themselves—either one of the parents, or one or more grandparents.