Capital

Peru

name: Lima

geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: the word "Lima" derives from the Spanish pronunciation of "Limaq," the native name for the valley in which the city was founded in 1535; "limaq" means "talker" in coastal Quechua and referred to an oracle that was situated in the valley but which was eventually destroyed by the Spanish and replaced with a church

Citizenship

Peru

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent only: yes

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 2 years

Legal system

Peru

civil law system

Suffrage

Peru

18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70

Area

Peru

total: 1,285,216 sq km

land: 1,279,996 sq km

water: 5,220 sq km

Land use

Peru

agricultural land: 18.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 14.6% (2018 est.)

forest: 53% (2018 est.)

other: 28.2% (2018 est.)

Location

Peru

Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador

Age structure

Peru

0-14 years: 26.04% (male 4,311,243/female 4,136,849)

15-64 years: 65.94% (male 10,452,598/female 10,937,233)

65 years and over: 8.02% (2023 est.) (male 1,134,587/female 1,467,662)

Birth rate

Peru

17 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Peru

11 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Peru

Spanish (official) 82.9%, Quechua (official) 13.6%, Aymara (official) 1.6%, Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages (includes a large number of minor Amazonian languages) 0.8%, other (includes foreign languages and sign language) 0.2%, none 0.1%, unspecified 0.7% (2017 est.)

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Peru

total population: 68.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 65.4 years

female: 72.7 years

Major urban areas - population

Peru

11.204 million LIMA (capital), 959,000 Arequipa, 904,000 Trujillo (2023)

Median age

Peru

total: 30.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 29.1 years

female: 31.1 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Peru

21.9 years (2013 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Net migration rate

Peru

-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Peru

approximately one-third of the population resides along the desert coastal belt in the west, with a strong focus on the capital city of Lima; the Andean highlands, or sierra, which is strongly identified with the country's Amerindian population, contains roughly half of the overall population; the eastern slopes of the Andes, and adjoining rainforest, are sparsely populated

Population growth rate

Peru

0.5% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Peru

2.18 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Peru

urban population: 78.9% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Peru

4% of GDP (2021 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Peru

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 15 years (2017)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Peru

-3.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Peru

16.44% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Peru

18.352 million (2021 est.)

note: individuals older than 14 years of age

Population below poverty line

Peru

20.2% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

Peru

4.83% (2021 est.)

7.18% (2020 est.)

3.38% (2019 est.)

note: data are for metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment

Public debt

Peru

34.67% of GDP (2020 est.)

26.54% of GDP (2019 est.)

25.7% of GDP (2018 est.)

note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued by government entities other than the treasury; the data exclude treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Peru

4.27% (2021 est.)

2% (2020 est.)

2.25% (2019 est.)

note: data are for metropolitan Lima, annual average

Exports

Peru

$66.098 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$45.624 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$54.676 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Peru

China 29%, United States 12%, Canada 5%, South Korea 5%, Switzerland 5% (2019)

Imports

Peru

$58.611 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$42.093 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$51.778 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Peru

China 24%, United States 22%, Brazil 6% (2019)

Airports

Peru

191 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Peru

total: 3.044 million (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Peru

total: 24.14 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 71% (2021 est.)

Railways

Peru

total: 1,854.4 km (2017)

standard gauge: 1,730.4 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (34 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 124 km (2014) 0.914-m gauge

Roadways

Peru

total: 18,699 km (2018)

paved: 18,699 km

note: includes 27,109 km of national roads (21,434 km paved), 247,505 km of departmental roads (3,623 km paved), and 113,857 km of local roads (1,858 km paved)

Telephones - fixed lines

Peru

total subscriptions: 2,266,025 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Peru

total subscriptions: 43,129,394 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 128 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Peru

8,808 km (2011) (8,600 km of navigable tributaries on the Amazon River system and 208 km on Lago Titicaca)

Disputes - international

Peru

Peru-Bolivia: Peru rejects Bolivia's claim to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through Chile along the Peruvian border

Peru-Brazil: none identified

Peru-Chile: Bolivia continues to press for a sovereign corridor to the Pacific Ocean; any concession Chile makes to Bolivia to grant them a sovereign corridor requires approval by Peru under the terms of their treaty; in January 2018, the International Court of Justice ruled that Chile is not legally obligated to negotiate a sovereign corridor to the Pacific Ocean with Bolivia

Peru-Chile-Ecuador: Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral legislation to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime boundaries along the parallels of latitude to equidistance lines out to 200 nautical miles, which would give Peru 37,900 square kilometers of water

Peru-Colombia: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia have penetrated Peru's shared border; problems also include cross border illegal migration, human trafficking, and contraband smuggling

Peru-Ecuador: in 1999, Tiwinza memorial park was created on lands that remains sovereign Peruvian territory, but Ecuador has the right to maintain and administer it in perpetuity