European Venezuelans or White Venezuelans are Venezuelan citizens 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 issues such as light skin, shape and color of 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 White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

. A genomic study shows that about 61.5% of the Venezuelan gene pool has European origin. Among the Latin American and Caribbean countries in the study (Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, El Salvador, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela), Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina exhibit the highest European contribution. The ancestry of European Venezuelans is primarily

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

History

Spaniards settled Venezuela during the colonial period. Most of them were from

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

, Galicia, Basque Country and from the Canary Islands. Until the last years of World War II, a large part of the European immigrants to Venezuela came from the Canary Islands, and its cultural impact was significant, influencing the development of the Spanish language in the country, the Venezuelan gastronomy and customs. During the 19th century the bulk of the

white Dominicans White Dominicans ( es, "Dominicanos blancos") are Dominican people of predominant or full European descent. They are 17.8% of the Dominican Republic's population, according to a 2021 survey by the United Nations Population Fund. The majority of ...

migrated to Venezuela due to the political and economic instability in their country, especially after the French and Haitian annexation, but also because of constant coups and civil wars; they went from being half to barely a fifth of the Dominican population. In the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s came nearly two million immigrants from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, mostly Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, and Jews from eastern Europe.

Census

Definition of white according to the census of Venezuela "According to the Venezuela census the definition of White is: People whose skin tone is clear and that is why it is usually associated with populations of European origin. Although it literally implies external issues such as clear skin, shape and color of hair and eyes, among others, "white" has been used in different ways in different historical periods and places. Like other common words for human ethnicities, its precise definition is somewhat confusing"http://www.ine.gob.ve/documentos/Demografia/CensodePoblacionyVivienda/pdf/nacional.pdf With this definition, the true percentage of white population in Venezuela is not clear.

Geographic distribution

White Venezuelan population by Venezuelan 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.

Percentage of white Venezuelans in municipalities

The top 20 communities (municipalities) with the highest percentage of White Venezuelans according to the 2011 Census: # Chacao (

Metropolitan District of Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

) 72.20% # Umuquena ( San Judas Tadeo),

Táchira Táchira State ( es, Estado Táchira, ) is one of the 24 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal. Táchira State covers a total surface area of and as of the 2011 census, had a population of 1,168,908. At the end of the 19t ...

71.80% #

Cordero Cordero is Spanish and Italian last name origin. The name means "young lamb", per the Latin ''cordarius'' (a derivative of ''cordus'', meaning ‘young’, ‘new’). It may be an occupational name for a shepherd, or a nickname meaning "lamb" ...

(

Andrés Bello Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López (; November 29, 1781 – October 15, 1865) was a Venezuelan- Chilean humanist, diplomat, poet, legislator, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute an ...

70.11% # Lechería ( Diego Bautista),

Anzoátegui ) , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Anzoátegui'' , image_map = Anzoategui in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_a ...

70.10% # El Hatillo (

) 68.80% # San Antonio de Los Altos ( Los Salias), Miranda 66.90% # Baruta (

) 66.40% # Canaguá ( Arzobispo Chacón), Mérida and Lobatera ( Lobatera),

65.50% #

La Grita La Grita is a town in the north west of Táchira state, Venezuela. It has a population of 80.000. Located in an Andean valley, La Grita has a beautiful natural setting and fertile land. The town includes colonial style houses and open plazas. Th ...

( Jáuregui),

64.70% # San Cristóbal,

64.50% # El Junko (

) 63.20% # Táriba,

62.80% #

Michelena Michelena is a town in Táchira state, Venezuela. It was founded in 1849 by José Amando Pérez. It has a population of 22.500. * Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal, currently serving life sentence in France for killing thr ...

62.50 # Palmira ( Guásimos),

62.30% # Seboruco ( Seboruco),

61.90% # Pueblo Llano, Mérida 61.30 # Tovar, Mérida 60.90% #

Colonia Tovar Colonia Tovar ( en, Tovar Colony) is a town of Venezuela, capital of the municipality Tovar in Aragua state. It is located about west of Caracas. It was founded on April 8, 1843, by a group of 390 immigrants from the then independent state of t ...

( Tovar),

Aragua Aragua State ( es, Estado Aragua, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It is located in the north-central region of Venezuela. It has plains and jungles and Caribbean beaches. The most popular are Cata and Choroni. It has Venezuela's first n ...

60.80% # Capacho Nuevo ( Independencia),

60.20% # El Cobre ( José María Vargas),

60.00%

Density of white Venezuelans in municipalities

The top 20 communities (municipalities) by

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

(per km2) of white Venezuelans, according to the 2011 Census: # Chacao (

) 3,962.69 # Santa Rita ( Francisco Linares Alcántara),

2,604.25 #

Carlos Soublette Carlos Valentín José de la Soledad Antonio del Sacramento de Soublette y Jerez de Aristeguieta (15 December 1789 – 11 February 1870) was the president of Venezuela from 1837 to 1839 and 1843 to 1847 and a hero of the Venezuelan War of I ...

, Vargas 2,506.08 #

Capital District A capital district, capital region or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any poli ...

(

) 2,493.38 # Baruta (

) 2,479.77 # Sucre (

) 1,967.07 # Maracaibo,

Zulia Zulia State ( es, Estado Zulia, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It ...

1,835.49 # Lechería ( Diego Bautista),

Anzoátegui ) , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Anzoátegui'' , image_map = Anzoategui in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_a ...

1,668.23 #

Porlamar ) Pueblo de La Mar ( en, Village by the Sea) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Panoramic , image_flag = Bandera santiagomarino.jpg , image_seal = , pushpin_map =Venezuela , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivis ...

( Mariño),

Nueva Esparta The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ), is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, and the largely uninhabited Cubagua. The state has the smallest area, and is located off the nort ...

1,176.69 #

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

1,110.25 # Los Guayos, Carabobo 1,107.78 # Catia La Mar, Vargas 1,094.47 # San Antonio de Los Altos ( Los Salias), Miranda 1065.68 # Carrizal, Miranda 970.25 # El Limón ( Mario Briceño Iragorry),

944.04 # Palmira ( Guásimos),

932.00 # Santa Cruz ( José Angel Lamas),

800.90 # San Cristóbal,

766.64 #

Cagua Cagua () is a city of Venezuela, capital of the Sucre Municipality of Aragua State. Cagua is part of the metropolitan area of Maracay. History Cagua was established in 1620 as "Cagua La Vieja", a town of original Spaniards. Cagua was rebuilt ...

( Sucre),

761.63 #

Pampatar Pampatar is a city on Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta State, Venezuela. It is located in the Maneiro Municipality. Pampatar lies 10 km (6 mi) northeast of Porlamar. A coastal town which was founded 1552. Its strategic importance become ...

( Maneiro),

749.08

References

{{White people Venezuelan people of European descent Venezuelan