Uruguay's migrant population grows for first time in a century, driven by Venezuelans, Cubans

Venezuelan immigrants gather at a Venezuelan community Christmas party, in Montevideo, Uruguay, December 16, 2023. REUTERS/Lucinda Elliott

MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - For the first time since mass European migration to the Americas at the turn of the 20th century, the number of foreigners living in Uruguay is on the rise, this time driven by a wave of arrivals from Venezuela and Cuba.

Foreign-born residents represented 3% of the 3.4 million Uruguayan population in 2023, up from 2% a decade ago, the country's latest census data show. It is the first increase since 1908.