The number of Peruvians who leave the country and do not return has quadrupled since 2023 compared to previous years, according to official data. The online publication Wayka reported this on November 21.
The emigration of Peruvians is not a new phenomenon, although it has recently increased. Surveys carried out by the IPSOS pollster show that in a period of thirty years, more than 60% wanted to stay in Peru, and in five of them, in 1992, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007, this level reached or exceeded 70 %.
In the latest survey conducted in the Peruvian capital in August 2022, more than half of respondents (55%) said they would like to leave the country if they could. However, three in ten (29%) said they plan to leave Peru.
The reasons Peru is expelling its people are varied, researchers said. In some cases, a citizen leaves the country for economic reasons in search of a job that allows him to support his family. This is the case of lower middle class immigrants who have settled mainly in Argentina and Chile and, to a lesser extent, in Spain and the United States.
“Although there is no statistical basis for this, it can be imagined that the majority of the millions of Peruvian emigrants, whose exact number is unknown due to deficiencies in the available data, fall into this category. “They are people who are fleeing the poverty imposed on them by their environment.”says the message.
In other cases, when it comes to middle class people, the reasons for leaving the country lie mainly in the difficulties and obstacles that many citizens face in carrying out the task assigned to them.
“Whether they are writers, artists or researchers, the plaintiffs denounce various attempts to create works in Peru for which they were denied space and resources. It is concluded that the country does not allow those who are creators or innovators in any field to develop.”says the study.
When emigrants went to another country, often without the intention of staying there, they found themselves offered what they had been denied in their homeland. Reasons of this nature appear more clearly in the 2021-2022 witness statements.
“There are a couple of stories that are very impressive, these are the stories of those who left the country to study, train and return to Peru. “These people found the doors closed and were even disqualified from going to study abroad.”the researchers reported.
Another reason for emigration is hopelessness. “Today in Peru there is a lot of hopelessness and to this a possible response is to try to go out in search of a better life. “Perhaps this factor explains the current level of those who leave never to return.”, explained the company. The number of people wishing to leave Peru is such that the immigration service cannot provide enough passports, which require several months of waiting to obtain.
Another important factor is that poverty has increased in the country as a result of the pandemic and the measures adopted in response to it. This year, a World Bank report found that seven in ten Peruvians are poor or at risk of falling into poverty. The report details that “The country’s poverty rate increased to 30.1%, a level not seen since 2010, and the extreme poverty rate reached 5.1% in 2020, comparable to 2013.”. Thus, the country has fallen into disrepair and its economy cannot sustain those who live in it.
Another 23% of respondents cited increased crime, corruption and unemployment as reasons for leaving Peru. Citizens also mention political uncertainty in the country and the El Niño climate phenomenon, which causes drought and generates a series of problems for the agricultural sector, as important reasons for emigration.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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