US sanctions, the prolonged collapse of the Venezuelan economy, authoritarian policies and human rights abuses have resulted in Venezuelans becoming one of the largest groups of refugees and migrants worldwide.
To date, nearly 7.9 million people have left Venezuela in search of protection and a better life. The majority, over 6.9 million people, have been taken in by Latin America and the Caribbean. At the same time, increasing numbers of Venezuelans are also reaching Europe.
In the first half of 2025, Venezuelans constituted the largest group of asylum seekers in the EU, with 49,000 asylum applications. For years, Syrians and Afghans had formed the largest group, but since the fall of the Assad regime and the deteriorating situation in Venezuela, fewer Syrians and more Venezuelans have been seeking asylum in Europe.
This trend continued in the months that followed: in July, September and October too, the majority of first-time asylum applications came from Venezuelans. In October 2025, 8,140 Venezuelans applied for asylum in the European Union for the first time. Most applications were submitted in Spain due to the shared language, existing diaspora communities and the greater likelihood of obtaining legal status, primarily on humanitarian grounds.
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