Map of Peru | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peru declared its independence in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces were defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980 but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, an economic slump and the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his resignation in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw a new election in 2001 that installed Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of indigenous ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA Perez who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, presided over a robust economic rebound. Former army officer Ollanta HUMALA Tasso was elected president in 2011 and carried on the market-oriented economic policies of the three preceding administrations. Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard won a very narrow runoff in the 2016 presidential election. Facing impeachment after evidence surfaced of his involvement in a vote-buying scandal, KUCZYNSKI offered his resignation in 2018, and First Vice President Martin Alberto VIZCARRA Cornejo was sworn in as president. In 2019, VIZCARRA invoked his constitutional authority to dissolve Peru's Congress after months of battling with the body over anticorruption reforms. New congressional elections in 2020 resulted in an opposition-led legislature. The Congress impeached VIZCARRA for a second time and removed him from office after accusations of corruption and mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of vacancies in the vice-presidential positions, the President of the Peruvian Congress, Manuel MERINO, became the next president. His ascension to office was not well received, and large protests forced his resignation later in 2020. Francisco SAGASTI assumed the position of President of Peru after being appointed President of the Congress the previous day. Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones won presidential election in 2021 but was impeached and ousted the following year; his vice president, Dina BOLUARTE, assumed the presidency by constitutional succession in 2022.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 1,285,216 km²
Land: 1,279,996 km²
Water: 5,220 km²
Comparative: almost twice the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska

Land boundaries
Total: 7,062 km
Border countries (5): (5) Bolivia 1,212 km; Brazil 2,659 km; Chile 168 km; Colombia 1,494 km; Ecuador 1,529 km

Coastline: 2,414 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate: varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes

Terrain: western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)

Elevation
Highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,746 m
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 1,555 m

Natural resources

Land use
Agricultural land: 19.1% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 3.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.8% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 14.2% (2023 est.)
Forest: 52.9% (2023 est.)
Other: 28% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 25,800 km² (2012)

Major rivers: Amazon river source (shared with Brazil [m]) - 6,400 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity
Volcanism: volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains; Ubinas (5,672 m) is the country's most active volcano; other historically active volcanoes include El Misti, Huaynaputina, Sabancaya, and Yucamane; see note 2 under 'Geography - note'

Geography
Note note 1: shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316-m (17,441-ft) peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River
Note note 2: Peru is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes
Note note 3: on 19 February 1600, Mount Huaynaputina in the southern Peruvian Andes erupted in the largest volcanic explosion in South America in historical times; intermittent eruptions lasted until 5 March 1600 and pumped an estimated 16 to 32 million metric tons of particulates into the atmosphere, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the earth's surface and affecting weather worldwide; over the next two-and-a-half years, millions died around the globe in famines from bitterly cold winters, cool summers, and the loss of crops and animals


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Population
Total: 32,600,249 (2024 est.)
Male: 15,952,556
Female: 16,647,693
Distribution: 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, contain roughly half of the population; the eastern slopes of the Andes and adjoining rainforest are sparsely populated
Growth rate: 0.48% (2024 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages: Spanish (official) 82.9%, Quechua (official) 13.6%, Aymara (official) 1.6%, Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages (includes many minor Amazonian languages) 0.8%, other 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.

Religions: Catholic 76%, Evangelical Christian 15.7%, no religion 5.1%, other religions 3.2% (2023 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.8% (male 4,293,229/female 4,119,269)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 10,546,502/female 11,041,106)
65 years and over: 8% (2024 est.) (male 1,112,825/female 1,487,318)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 51 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 39 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 12 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 8.3 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 30.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 29.1 years
Female: 31.3 years

Population growth rate: 0.48% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 16.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 10.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution: 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, contain roughly half of the population; the eastern slopes of the Andes and adjoining rainforest are sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 78.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 11.204 million LIMA (capital), 959,000 Arequipa, 904,000 Trujillo (2023)

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 51 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 65.4 years
Female: 72.7 years

Total fertility rate: 2.15 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 2.5% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 15.1% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 5.2% of population (2022 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 5.9% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 34.1% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 11.9% of population (2022 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.7% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.9% (2024 est.); 4.9% (2023 est.); 3.9% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment


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Country name

Government type

Capital
Name: Lima
Geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W
Time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name is an early Spanish mispronunciation of the Quechua name Rimak, referring to a god and deriving from the word rima (to speak); Quechua priests used to speak to worshippers from inside statues of their gods

Administrative divisions: 24 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento), 1 province* (provincia), and 1 constitutional province** (provincia constitucional); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao**, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huánuco, Ica, Junín, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima*, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch
Chief of state: President José Enrique JERÍ Oré (since 10 October 2025)
Head of government: President José Enrique JERÍ Oré (since 10 October 2025)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for nonconsecutive terms)
Most recent election date: 11 April 2021, with a runoff on 6 June 2021
2021: Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones (PL) 18.9%, Keiko Sofia FUJIMORI Higuchi (FP) 13.4%, Rafael LOPEZ ALIAGA Cazorla (RP) 11.8%, Hernando DE SOTO Polar (Social Integration Party) 11.6%, Yonhy LESCANO Ancieta (AP) 9.1%, Veronika MENDOZA Frisch (JP) 7.9%, Cesar ACUNA Peralta (APP) 6%, George FORSYTH Sommer (VN) 5.7%, Daniel Belizario URRESTI Elera (PP) 5.6%, other 10%; percent of vote second round - Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones 50.1%, Keiko Sofia FUJIMORI Higuchi 49.9%
2016: Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Keiko FUJIMORI Higuchi (FP) 39.9%, Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard (PPK) 21.1%, Veronika MENDOZA (FA) 18.7%, Alfredo BARNECHEA (AP) 7%, Alan GARCIA (APRA) 5.8%, other 7.5%; percent of vote in second round - Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard 50.1%, Keiko FUJIMORI Higuchi 49.9%
Expected date of next election: 12 April 2026
Note 1: First Vice President Dina Ercilia BOLUARTE Zegarra assumed the office of the president on 7 December 2022 after President Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones was impeached and arrested; on 10 October 2025, the president of the Congress, José Enrique JERÍ Oré, was sworn in as the new president after Congress overwhelmingly voted to remove BOLUARTE from office
Note 2: Prime Minister Ernesto ÁLVAREZ (since 14 October 2025) does not exercise executive power; this power rests with the president
Note 3: the president is both chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la República)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 130 (all directly elected)
Electoral system: proportional representation
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 5 years
Most recent election date: 4/11/2021
Parties elected and seats per party: Free Peru (PL) (37); Popular Force (FP) (24); Popular Action (AP) (16); Alliance for Progress (APP) (15); Go on Country - Social Integration Party (AvP) (10); Popular Renewal (RP) (9); We Are Peru' (SP) - Purple Party (PM) (9); Other (10)
Percentage of women in chamber: 41.5%
Expected date of next election: April 2026

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (left side), white, and red, with the coat of arms centered on the white band; the coat of arms has a shield with a vicuna, a cinchona tree, and a yellow cornucopia spilling out coins

National symbols

National anthem
Title: 'Himno Nacional del Peru' (National Anthem of Peru)
Lyrics/music: Jose DE LA TORRE Ugarte/Jose Bernardo ALZEDO
History: adopted 1821

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 13 (9 cultural, 2 natural, 2 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.3% (2024 est.); -0.4% (2023 est.); 2.8% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 3.3% (2024 est.); -0.4% (2023 est.); 2.8% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 61.6% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 13.4% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 20.8% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: -1.4% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 28.5% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -22.9% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6.1% (2024 est.)
Industry: 32.2% (2024 est.)
Services: 52.7% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products

Industries: mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas and natural gas liquefaction; fishing and fish processing, cement, glass, textiles, clothing, food processing, beer, soft drinks, rubber, machinery, electrical machinery, chemicals, furniture

Industrial production growth rate: 3.1% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 18.918 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 4.9% (2024 est.); 4.9% (2023 est.); 3.9% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.9% (2024 est.); 4.9% (2023 est.); 3.9% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $48.003 billion (2021 est.)
Expenditures: $55.34 billion (2021 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 15.9% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $83.325 billion (2024 est.); $72.97 billion (2023 est.); $71.39 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: copper ore, gold, refined copper, refined petroleum, grapes (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $67.16 billion (2024 est.); $63.776 billion (2023 est.); $69.936 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, trucks, broadcasting equipment (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 16.164 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 53.3 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 47.696 million kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 6.638 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 96.2% (2022 est.)
Access electrification - urban areas: 99%
Access electrification - rural areas: 85.1%
Generation sources fossil fuels: 44.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 3.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 49.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 1.382 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 973,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 1.261 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 446,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.567 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 118,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 255,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 858.89 million barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 14.647 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 9.675 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 4.883 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 300.159 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 58.903 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 2.177 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 34.863 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 21.863 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 30.923 million Btu/person (2023 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.504 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 41.3 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 122 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Users percent of population: 80% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 3.53 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2023 est.)


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Military expenditures: 0.8% of GDP (2024 est.); 1% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.1% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.1% of GDP (2021 est.); 1.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 174 (2025)

Heliports: 7 (2025)

Pipelines

Railways
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

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 111 (2023)
By type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 9, other 101

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs