Venezuelans of European descent


European Venezuelans, also known as White Venezuelans are Venezuelans who self-identify in the national census as white, tracing their heritage to European ethnic groups. According to the official census report, although "white" literally involves external caucasoid features such as fair skin, hair, and eyes, among others, the term "white" has been used in different ways in different historical periods and places, and so its precise definition is somewhat confusing.
According to the 2011 National Population and Housing Census, 43.6% of the population identified themselves as white people. A genomic study shows that about 61.5% of the Venezuelan gene pool has European ancestry. Among the Latin American and Caribbean countries in the study, Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina exhibit the highest European contribution.
The ancestry of European Venezuelans is primarily Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Other ancestries of European Venezuelans are: Germans, Poles, Greeks, and other minorities.

History

Italian explorer Christopher Columbus arrived in the Venezuela region in 1498. European explorers named Venezuela after observing local indigenous houses on stilts over water. During the first quarter-century of contact, the Europeans limited themselves to slave hunting and pearlfishing on the northeastern coast; the first permanent Spanish settlement in Venezuela, Cumaná, was not made until 1523.
European colonization of Venezuela commenced with the arrival of the Spanish in the late 15th century, with settlers predominantly hailing from regions such as Andalusia, Galicia, the Basque Country, and the Canary Islands. The influence of the Canary Islands on Venezuelan culture and customs has been particularly significant, earning Venezuela the occasional nickname "the eighth island of the Canary archipelago".
Throughout the colonial period, Spanish authorities discouraged non-Spanish migration to safeguard colonial territories from rival European claims, although exceptions existed. The influx of Germans began in the early 16th century, with King Carlos I granting colonization privileges to German families to offset certain debts. This led to the renaming of the Province of Venezuela as Klein-Venedig, with its capital established as Neu-Augsburg, and the founding of Neu-Nürnberg, the country's second-largest city. In 1542, the Dutch seized control of the Araya peninsula for its lucrative salt flats, subsequently expanding their presence to other coastal areas such as Falcón, Carabobo, and Zulia due to economic ties with the nearby Netherlands Antilles. Until deep into the 19th century, the now Venezuelan islands of Aves, the Aves archipelago, Los Roques and La Orchila were also considered by the Dutch government to be part of the Dutch West Indies.
During the emergence of the independence movements in the Americas, Venezuela experienced a notable influx of White Dominicans. This surge in migration was largely prompted by a genocide perpetrated by Afro-descendant Haitians following the capture of Hispaniola. As Venezuela pursued independence, it witnessed a significant arrival of Italian immigrants seeking better opportunities, with migration beginning in 1814 and intensifying around 1870 during Italy's unification. These Italian immigrants primarily concentrated in agricultural regions, particularly focusing on coffee and cocoa cultivation in the Andean and the Coastal Range area of the country. Concurrently, volunteers from England, Scotland, and Ireland formed the "British Legion", actively engaging in the War of Independence, leaving a lasting impact and contributing to the enduring presence of British descendants in Venezuela.
Following independence, Venezuela faced challenges attracting immigrants due to economic stagnation and internal conflicts. Despite this, small groups of French settlers, particularly Corsicans, established themselves along the coast of the Paria Peninsula, contributing significantly to the cocoa industry. Additionally, Italians were notably present in the Andean region, while German immigrants formed communities such as Colonia Tovar in the center-north, they also played vital roles in commerce, particularly in Maracaibo's retail sector and informal banking systems. Towards the late 19th century, White Americans and White Canadians relocated to Venezuela, primarily as evangelical missionaries representing various Protestant denominations, along with engineers drawn by the burgeoning oil industry.
After 1935, Venezuela underwent a period of economic and social advancement with the discovery of oil, positioning itself as an attractive destination for immigrants. From 1940 to 1961, an estimated 900,000 European immigrants arrived in Venezuela, following the Second World War, the Francoist dictatorship and the policies of the governments of the Warsaw Pact. Among them, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese migrants constituted the majority, while smaller numbers included Germans, French, Swiss, Poles, Greeks, Czechs, Russians, Ukrainians, Serbs, Nordics, Romanians, Slovenes, Croats, Belgians, Austrians and Hungarians.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Southern Cone nations like Argentina and Uruguay with a predominantly Spanish and Italian-descents population, were plagued by oppressive dictatorships. Consequently, many individuals from these countries sought refuge in Venezuela, attracted by the promise of safety and stability. Additionally, Venezuela became a destination for other European Latin Americans communities, including Colombians, Chileans, Dominicans, Brazilians, Cubans, and others, fleeing economic struggles, political unrest, and autocratic regimes in their homelands.

Census

Around 42-43% of the population are identified as white Venezuelan although most have Native American and African mixtures. The highest concentrations, ranging from 65 to 80%, are found in the Venezuelan Andes, the Coastal Range and areas of the north-eastern Caribbean coast.
Census data reveals that in major urban areas like Maracaibo, Valencia, Maracay, Barquisimeto, Ciudad Guayana, Puerto La Cruz, among others, several districts or parishes boast "white" majorities exceeding 50%. These areas typically align with medium to higher socioeconomic levels, resembling Latin American cities of European descent such as Montevideo and Buenos Aires. Conversely, regions like Amazonas state, Orinoco Delta, and Alta Guajira exhibit minimal white presence, often less than 1% of the local population.

Geographic distribution

White Venezuelan population by state

The following is a sortable table of the white Venezuelan proportion of the population in each Venezuelan state, according to the 2011 Census data.
Rank StateWhite population white
1 Táchira743,01358.8%
2 Mérida479,02153.7%
3 Capital District1,079,89251.2%
4 Trujillo369,96148.3%
5 Nueva Esparta217,82847.1%
6 Zulia1,799,76046.3%
7 Miranda1,387,26545.8%
8 Vargas153,25244.7%
9 Aragua763,35143.4%
10 Carabobo1,010,13842.7%
11 Barinas344,26541.5%
12 Lara800,22541.9%
13 Anzoátegui629,80240.0%
14 Bolívar646,05939.2%
15 Falcón375,82338.9%
16 Monagas359,47338.8%
17 Sucre375,68838.5%
18 Portuguesa348,74537.0%
19 Delta Amacuro62,45736.4%
20 Cojedes115,43735.6%
21 Yaracuy229,54235.5%
22Amazonas54,10234.4%
23 Guárico264,03632.9%
24 Apure157,19330.2%

Percentage of white Venezuelans in municipalities

The top 20 communities with the highest percentage of White Venezuelans according to the 2011 Census:
  1. Chacao 72.20%
  2. Umuquena, Táchira 71.80%
  3. Cordero, Táchira 70.11%
  4. Lechería, Anzoátegui 70.10%
  5. El Hatillo 68.80%
  6. San Antonio de Los Altos, Miranda 66.90%
  7. Baruta 66.40%
  8. Canaguá, Mérida and Lobatera, Táchira 65.50%
  9. La Grita, Táchira 64.70%
  10. San Cristóbal, Táchira 64.50%
  11. El Junko 63.20%
  12. Táriba, Táchira 62.80%
  13. Michelena, Táchira 62.50
  14. Palmira, Táchira 62.30%
  15. Seboruco, Táchira 61.90%
  16. Pueblo Llano, Mérida 61.30
  17. Tovar, Mérida 60.90%
  18. Colonia Tovar, Aragua 60.80%
  19. Capacho Nuevo, Táchira 60.20%
  20. El Cobre, Táchira 60.00%

    Density of white Venezuelans in municipalities

The top 20 communities by population density of white Venezuelans, according to the 2011 Census:
  1. Chacao 3,962.69
  2. Santa Rita, Aragua 2,604.25
  3. Carlos Soublette, Vargas 2,506.08
  4. Capital District 2,493.38
  5. Baruta 2,479.77
  6. Sucre 1,967.07
  7. Maracaibo, Zulia 1,835.49
  8. Lechería, Anzoátegui 1,668.23
  9. Porlamar, Nueva Esparta 1,176.69
  10. San Francisco, Zulia 1,110.25
  11. Los Guayos, Carabobo 1,107.78
  12. Catia La Mar, Vargas 1,094.47
  13. San Antonio de Los Altos, Miranda 1065.68
  14. Carrizal, Miranda 970.25
  15. El Limón, Aragua 944.04
  16. Palmira, Táchira 932.00
  17. Santa Cruz, Aragua 800.90
  18. San Cristóbal, Táchira 766.64
  19. Cagua, Aragua 761.63
  20. Pampatar, Nueva Esparta 749.08