One significant event that occurred in early January 2026 was the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US authorities. Accused of complicity in drug trafficking, he was tried in US courts. While this event attracted significant global media attention, one aspect that deserves closer examination is the number of Venezuelans who emigrated from their country during Maduro’s presidency, from 2013 until his arrest.

Scale of the migration crisis

The exodus of Venezuelans during Nicolás Maduro’s presidency (2013–2026) has reached colossal proportions, with more than 7.7 million people leaving the country since 2014 due to economic collapse, hyperinflation, food shortages, and political unrest. According to reliefweb, this disaster, the worst in Latin America, further deteriorated in 2015 following the fall in oil prices and international sanctions. According to a UNHCR report on Venezuela dated May 2024, this platform reports that, in the first half of 2023, 71,100 Venezuelans were granted refugee status globally, 57% of them in the Americas. A further 163,700 people submitted asylum applications worldwide, 76% of which were in the Americas.

Past and underlying factors

Online reports from Gis trace the developments that have occurred since Nicolás Maduro came to power in 2013, succeeding Hugo Chávez. The migration explosion began in 2015, when hyperinflation exceeded one million per cent. Departures accelerated between 2017 and 2019, stabilising at around 7–8 million despite the turmoil surrounding the disputed 2018 and 2024 elections. By 2026, this figure had risen to almost 8 million refugees and migrants. The platform also notes a rise in the interception of irregular Venezuelan migrants at the US–Mexico border, with numbers increasing from 49,000 in 2021 to 188,000 in 2022, 266,000 in 2023 and 261,000 in 2024 after a slight decline.

Main host countries

Wikipédia compiles statistics on Venezuelan migrants by destination. These include: Colombia (2.9 million), Peru (1.5 million), Ecuador (500,000), and the United States (545,000 as of 2026).

The news site Cfr maps the factors triggering these massive flows, including the economic crisis caused by poor oil management, corruption and US sanctions, which have led to famine and insecurity. Human rights abuses, post-election repression and gangs such as the Tren de Aragua have also contributed to the exodus.