Colombia

The Colombia Migration Profile illustrates the current status of migration in this country. Colombia is a multicultural country with a projected population for 2010 of 45,508,208 inhabitants, of which 49.37 per cent are male and 50.63 per cent are female. In Colombia, migration flows from the dynamic of a society that transforms itself according to context, economic fluctuations and the variable conditions that characterize Latin American countries. Colombia is considered one of the countries with the most migration in the region. Data on emigration comes from the 2005 Census. The census takers identified the number of persons in each census household who had gone to live abroad permanently, inquiring about destination and period of emigration. The 2009 report prepared by the National Department of Statistics (DANE) states that the total number of Colombians living abroad is 3,378,345.

According to the various information sources, the causes of Colombian migration abroad are mainly economic, followed by family-related causes, and, less frequently, by security considerations. This profile evidences a loss of human capital and shows how a significant number of educationally qualified Colombians have emigrated from the country. Moreover, as seen in the Medina and Posso study (2009), there are minimal opportunities for return of highly qualified personnel. The probability of return increases as the training level and type of employment enters the second tier: a labour force or range of people engaged in different tasks that do not require advanced training.