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