Immigration to Aruba Bear in mind, as you read this, that Aruba, an island located 20 miles north of the South American continent, is a country measuring only 20 miles by 6 miles. Immigrants arrive mainly from Latin America and Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries – Columbia, Venezuela, Peru, and the Dominican Republic, in particular. (So Spanish is now the second most widely spoken language on the island.) This influx of workers has benefited an economy that annually serves an increasing number of tourists. Immigrants fill jobs least desired by Arubans: Wait and food staff, housekeepers, and landscapers. Since the last census in 1991, Aruba’s population grew by 35.7% (from 66, 687 to 90,502), or 3.4% annually by June 2001, resulting in a population density of approximately 1300/square mile. Of course, this increase led to an increase in development and automobiles. Immigration accounted for most of this population growth. The number of Aruban-born nationals grew by a modest 17.9% while the nonAruban sector (30% of the island population) grew by 89.8% from 1991 to 2001.. Central Bureau of Statistics Oranjestad, Aruba