Ninety-six percent of Venezuelan migrants see Ecuador as a destination

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The vast majority of Venezuelan migrants arriving in Ecuador have this Andean country as their final destination, according to the tenth Flow Monitoring Survey of the Venezuelan population.

“Ninety-six percent state that their migratory route ends in Ecuador, while two percent will continue to Peru, one percent to Chile, one percent to other countries, and less than one percent will return to Venezuela,” says a statement from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In February and March of this year, the report reaffirms the trend that Ecuador seems more and more appetizing for migrants since it was above all a country of passage, or so it seemed according to official data.

Because of the more than 1.7 million Venezuelans who have crossed the Ecuadorian borders in recent years, the vast majority were on their way to Peru and Chile, and only about 400,000 have remained in the country according to official Ecuadorian statistics, which, unofficially, are raised to 600,000 by some organizations.

The tenth survey was conducted through 4,258 interviews with adults (54% men, 46% women) to identify the profile of the Venezuelan population in Ecuador and know their situation and needs to plan effective responses for Venezuelans in a situation of human mobility.

The interviews were conducted in this round in ten cities: Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Manta, Guayaquil, Huaquillas, Loja, Cuenca, Ibarra, Tulcán, Quito and Ambato, according to the press release.

“The main factors that influence the choice of the destination country are job opportunities (62%), family reunification (21%), having contacts or acquaintances in the country (13%), relationship (1%) and three percent are motivated by other factors,” it adds.

Other data in the report indicate that 81 percent of those surveyed stated they had irregular migratory status.

In terms of employment status, 94 percent reported earning a monthly income of less than the basic minimum salary of US$400, and only about 5 percent earn between US$400 and US$800, and 1 percent earn more than US$800.