Venezuelans represent 9 out of 10 refugees recognized in Brazil in the last 5 years

8.6 million Venezuelans live outside the country Brazil granted refugee status to 164 thousand people between 2019 and 2024, according to data from the National Committee for Refugees (Conare). Of this total, Venezuelans account for 148 thousand cases, which consolidates the prevalence of the group in the country’s migration statistics. 📈 The Venezuelan predominance among refugees is a recurring scenario in recent years. Data from 2020 shows that, of the 26,577 recognized refugees, 96% were migrants from the neighboring country. The following year, Brazil recognized 3,086 people, 77% of whom were Venezuelans. In 2023, there was a significant increase in the total number of recognitions. That year, 77,193 people obtained refugee status in Brazil, 97% of whom were Venezuelans. Venezuelan refugees in Brazil in the last five years Exit from Venezuela The growth of the Venezuelan community in Brazil is even more significant when analyzed in the long term. According to the IBGE 2022 Census, the number of Venezuelans residing in the country jumped from 2,869 in 2010 to 271,514 in 2022 — an increase of almost 9,363% in twelve years. This leap made Venezuelans the main foreign nationality in Brazil, surpassing the Portuguese and representing an important change in the national migratory profile. More recently, the advancement of the political and military crisis in Venezuela has driven a new wave of migration. After attacks by the United States and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security began monitoring a possible increase in the migratory flow, especially in Roraima, the main gateway. The Army intensified surveillance at the Pacaraima (RR) border, the main point on the border between Brazil and Venezuela. The inspection takes place on the main access road between the two countries and involves armed military personnel, and armored vehicles that approach cars and accompany the movement of pedestrians, many of them Venezuelan migrants carrying suitcases and backpacks. Venezuelans arriving in Pacaraima, January 7, 2026 Caíque Rodrigues/g1 RR Rules for refugees To be officially recognized as a refugee in Brazil, you must prove your fear of persecution; whether by race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinions. Furthermore, the applicant must demonstrate that they left their homeland due to a scenario of serious and widespread human rights violations. These criteria are set out in Law 9,474, of 1997, which governs the topic in the country, and follow parameters of the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees. The recognition process is analyzed by CONARE, linked to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the body is responsible for evaluating applications, conducting interviews, examining documents and deciding on granting refugee status. Only people who have their request approved by the committee are included in the official statistics of recognized refugees. The data does not include asylum seekers with ongoing processes, people with temporary residence or other forms of immigration regularization.

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