As a
former part of the
Spanish Empire in the Americas and a major destination of Spanish emigration up until the second half of the 20th century, Venezuela shares strong historical ties with Spain. After
Hugo Chávez came to power following the
1998 Venezuelan presidential election many upper-class Venezuelans decided to leave the country, a movement that intensified with the failure of the 2002 coup against President Chávez. After 2015, the Venezuelan community has seen explosive growth, growing from around 150,000 people to almost 700,000 people in only ten years, because of the political and economic crisis that has seriously affected Venezuela after 2014. Venezuelans in Spain are working mostly in the service sector. Venezuelans in Spain have also established businesses that produce Venezuelan food and products in Spain. In 2021, Venezuela constituted the third-largest source of migration to Spain after
Morocco and
Colombia. Some estimated 100,000 Venezuelans settled in
Madrid, assimilating well into Spanish society due to common Hispanic ethnicity and family ties. However, a few Venezuelans also settled in villages. In general, many leading members of the
Venezuelan opposition, including
Edmundo González, who was the opposition candidate in the
2024 Venezuelan presidential election, have moved to Spain after the 2010s economic and political crisis. == Legal status ==