This is a demography of the population of Peru including population density, ethnicity, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Peru is a multiethnic country, which means that it is home to people of many different historical backgrounds. Therefore, it is a multicultural country as well. Since it is a multiethnic society, Peruvian people usually treat their nationality as a citizenship instead of an ethnicity.
Population size and structure According to the total population was in , compared to only 7,728,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 27.9%, 65.3% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 6.8% were 65 years or older. Total population(1000)Population percentage aged 0–14 aged 15–64 aged 65+ 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Structure of the population
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 15 271 062 15 204 082 30 475 144 100 0–4 1 480 990 1 421 071 2 902 061 9.52 5–9 1 494 879 1 439 049 2 933 928 9.63 10–14 1 484 138 1 434 336 2 918 474 9.58 15–19 1 468 223 1 425 272 2 893 495 9.49 20–24 1 416 897 1 382 963 2 799 860 9.19 25–29 1 306 593 1 283 240 2 589 833 8.50 30–34 1 195 857 1 179 479 2 375 336 7.79 35–39 1 093 901 1 083 633 2 177 534 7.15 40–44 949 209 947 326 1 896 535 6.22 45–49 823 574 829 474 1 653 048 5.42 50–54 691 250 705 667 1 396 917 4.58 55–59 554 524 576 245 1 130 769 3.71 60–64 436 614 462 886 899 500 2.95 65–69 327 821 357 853 685 674 2.25 70–74 240 978 275 844 516 822 1.70 75–79 166 611 204 668 371 279 1.22 80+ 139 003 195 076 334 079 1.10Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent 0–14 4 460 007 4 294 456 8 754 463 28.73 15–64 9 936 642 9 876 185 19 812 827 65.01 65+ 874 413 1 033 441 1 907 854 6.26
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 16 394 177 16 641 127 33 035 304 100 0–4 1 429 061 1 363 558 2 792 619 8.45 5–9 1 313 359 1 288 499 2 601 858 7.88 10–14 1 362 451 1 350 040 2 712 491 8.21 15–19 1 228 918 1 265 724 2 494 642 7.55 20–24 1 249 221 1 402 839 2 652 060 8.03 25–29 1 330 977 1 398 567 2 729 544 8.26 30–34 1 328 246 1 292 197 2 620 443 7.93 35–39 1 262 203 1 226 189 2 488 392 7.53 40–44 1 170 794 1 121 022 2 291 816 6.94 45–49 992 814 999 696 1 992 510 6.03 50–54 893 909 901 725 1 795 634 5.44 55–59 783 444 780 334 1 563 778 4.73 60–64 610 966 645 359 1 256 325 3.80 65-69 503 321 540 532 1 043 853 3.16 70–74 382 384 395 713 778 097 2.36 75–79 258 224 288 165 546 389 1.65 80+ 293 885 380 968 674 853 2.04Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent 0–14 4 104 871 4 002 097 8 106 968 24.54 15–64 10 851 492 11 033 652 21 885 144 66.25 65+ 1 437 814 1 605 378 3 043 192 9.21
Metropolitan areas The metropolitan areas of Peru have been formed from the urban growth of Peruvian cities more populated and they are formed by the integration of two or more municipalities. The most populated Peruvian metropolises by districts are: Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo and Arequipa.
Vital statistics Registered births and deaths
YearPopulationLive birthsDeathsNatural increaseCrude birth rateCrude death rateRate of natural increaseCrude migration rateTFR 1970 13,453,692 559,595 185,338 374,275 41.6 13.8 27.8 1971 13,829,543 183,052 13.2 1972 14,214,908 574,458 180,767 393,691 40.4 12.7 27.7 0.2 1973 14,608,406 582,922 182,608 400,314 39.9 12.5 27.4 0.3 1974 15,008,648 591,386 184,449 406,397 39.4 12.3 27.1 0.3 1975 15,414,250 599,850 186,291 413,559 38.9 12.1 26.8 0.2 1976 15,826,152 608,314 188,132 420,182 38.4 11.9 26.5 0.2 1977 16,245,280 616,778 189,973 426,805 38 11.7 26.3 0.2 1978 16,670,224 618,799 190,450 428,349 37.1 11.4 25.7 0.5 1979 17,099,568 620,820 190,727 430,093 36.3 11.2 25.2 0.6 1980 17,531,898 622,842 191,403 431,439 35.5 10.9 24.6 0.7 1981 17,967,707 624,863 191,880 432,983 34.8 10.7 24.1 0.8 1982 18,407,934 626,884 192,357 434,527 34.1 10.4 23.6 0.9 1983 18,851,845 628,636 190,628 438,008 33.3 10.1 23.2 0.9 1984 19,298,720 639,338 188,899 450,439 33.1 9.8 23.3 0.4 1985 19,747,819 632,139 187,169 444,970 32 9.5 22.5 0.7 1986 20,201,403 633,891 185,440 448,451 31.4 9.2 22.2 0.8 1987 20,659,953 523,492 183,711 339,781 25.3 8.9 16.4 6.3 1988 21,120,089 555,003 181,549 373,454 26.3 8.6 17.7 4.6 1989 21,578,440 644,939 179,386 465,553 29.9 8.3 21.6 0.1 1990 22,031,627 649,588 177,224 472,364 29.5 8 21.4 −0.4 1991 22,479,500 665,734 175,061 490,673 29.6 7.8 21.8 −1.5 1992 22,924,304 667,743 172,889 494,854 29.1 7.5 21.6 −1.8 1993 23,366,275 667,435 171,188 496,247 28.6 7.3 21.2 −2 1994 23,805,630 665,342 171,476 493,866 27.9 7.2 20.7 −1.9 1995 24,242,600 660,354 156,000 504,354 27.2 6.4 20.8 −2.4 1996 24,689,213 656,435 156,800 499,635 26.6 6.4 20.2 −1.8 1997 25,145,317 652,467 160,830 491,637 25.9 6.4 19.6 −1.1 1998 25,592,876 648,075 161,615 486,460 25.3 6.3 19 −1.2 1999 26,013,829 642,874 162,457 480,417 24.7 6.2 18.5 −2 2000 26,390,142 636,064 24.1 2.90 2001 26,714,547 630,947 23.6 2002 26,999,085 626,714 23.2 2003 27,254,632 623,521 22.9 2004 27,492,091 620,991 22.6 2.56 2005 27,722,342 611,459 103,207 508,252 22.1 3.7 18.3 −10 2.56 2006 27,934,784 637,974 105,074 532,900 22.8 3.8 19.1 −11.4 2.56 2007 28,122,158 663,056 107,249 555,807 23.6 3.8 20.2 −13.8 2.56 2008 28,300,372 679,122 108,100 571,022 24 3.8 20.2 −13.8 2009 28,485,319 660,716 110,811 549,905 23.2 3.9 19.3 −12.8 2.60 2010 28,692,915 637,902 108,178 529,724 22.23.8 18.5 −11.2 2.50 2011 28,905,725 794,040 118,456 675,584 27.5 4.123.4 −16 2.60 2012 29,113,162 698,954 119,652 579,302 24 4.1 19.9 −12.7 2.60 2013 29,341,346 666,999 125,581 541,418 22.7 4.3 18.5 −10.6 2.40 2014 29,616,414 668,220 132,830 535,390 22.6 4.5 18.1 −8.7 2.50 2015 29,964,499 652,075 134,858 517,217 21.8 4.5 17.3 −5.5 2.50 2016 30,422,831 626,259 145,521 480,738 20.6 4.8 15.8 −0.5 2.50 2017 30,973,992 610,316 150,032 460,284 19.7 4.8 14.9 3.3 2.40 2018 31,562,130 601,781 151,690 450,091 19.1 4.8 14.3 4.7 2.20 2019 32,131,400 581,022 157,680 423,342 18.1 4.9 13.2 4.9 2.00 2020 32,625,948 421,096 240,915180,181 12.9 7.45.5 9.9 1.90 2021 33,035,304 535,433 273,349 262,084 16.28.3 7.9 4.6 2.32(e) 2022 33,396,698 516,295 175,014 341,281 15.5 5.2 10.2 0.7 2.1(e) 2023 33,845,617 462,755 168,081 294,674 13.7 5.0 8.7 1.11.8 2024 34,217,848 417,180 162,907 254,273 12.3 4.8 7.5 1.81.67(e) 202534,576,665 376,81510.9 1.59(e) 2026
Current vital statistics + Period Live births Deaths Natural increase January—December 2024 446,711 162,780 +283,931 January—December 2025 424,832 168,458 +256,374 Difference –21,879 (−4.9%) +5,678 (+3.5%) –27,557 Source:
UN estimates Registration of vital events in Peru is not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. PeriodLive births per yearDeaths per yearNatural change per yearCBR*CDR*NC*TFR*IMR* 1950–1955 47.821.726.16.95164 1955–1960 47.319.827.56.95152 1960–1965 46.717.629.16.95138 1965–1970 44.315.728.66.70128 1970–1975 40.412.727.76.00111 1975–1980 38.310.927.45.4099 1980–1985 34.09.124.94.6582 1985–1990 31.67.823.84.1068 1990–1995 28.76.921.83.5748 1995–2000 25.46.119.33.1039 2000–2005 22.45.417.02.7230 2005–2010 21.95.316.62.6821 2010–2015 19.25.313.92.4016 2015–2020 18.15.512.62.2713 2020–2025 16.95.911.02.16 2025–2030 15.46.19.32.07 * CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)
Demographic and Health Surveys Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):
Year Total Urban Rural CBR TFR CBR TFR CBR TFR 1950–55 47.1 6.9 1955–60 48.8 6.9 1960–1965 46.3 6.9 1965–70 43.6 6.6 1970–1975 40.5 6.0 1975–1980 38.0 5.4 1980–1985 36.7 5.0 1985–1990 34.3 4.5 1986 4.12 (2.64) 6.34 (3.66) 1991–1992 27.8 3.5 (2.0) 23.5 2.8 (1.7) 38.7 6.2 (3.0) 1996 27.4 3.5 (2.2) 24.2 2.8 (1.9) 33.5 5.6 (3.1) 2000 22 2.9 (1.8) 19 2.2 (1.5) 27 4.3 (2.5) 2004–2006 19.2 2.6 (1.7) 17.3 2.1 (1.5) 22.6 3.7 (2.2) 2007–2008 18.6 2.5 (1.6) 16.8 2.1 (1.5) 22.2 3.7 (2.0) 2009 19.9 2.6 (1.8) 18.7 2.3 (1.7) 22.8 3.6 (2.1) 2010 19.0 2.5 (1.8) 17.6 2.2 (1.6) 22.3 3.5 (2.1) 2011 19.7 2.6 (1.8) 18.5 2.3 (1.7) 22.5 3.5 (2.1) 2012 19.6 2.6 (1.8) 18.5 2.3 (1.7) 22.3 3.5 (2.1) 2013 18.4 2.4 (1.7) 17.1 2.1 (1.6) 22.3 3.4 (2.1) 2014 19.1 2.5 (1.8) 18.3 2.3 (1.7) 21.7 3.3 (2.2) 2017–2018 2.2 2.0 3.1
Life expectancy
PeriodLife expectancy inYearsPeriodLife expectancy inYears1950–195543.91985–199064.31955–196046.31990–199566.71960–196549.11995–200069.31965–197051.52000–200571.71970–197555.62005–201073.11975–198058.52010–201574.21980–198561.6 Source: UN World Population Prospects
Ethnic groups
Peru is a multiethnic country formed by the amalgamation of different cultures and ethnicities over thousands of years. Amerindians inhabited the land for over ten millennia before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century; their cultures and influence represent the foundation of today's Peru.
As a result of European contact and conquest, the population of the area now known as Peru decreased from an estimated 9 million in the 1520s to around 600,000 in 1620.Noble David Cook, Demographic collapse: Indian Peru, 1520–1620, p. 114. This happened mostly because of the unintended spread of germs and infectious diseases. In fact, the spread of smallpox greatly weakened the Inca empire, even before the Spanish arrival. The Amerindians did not have as much natural immunity to the disease as did the Europeans. For this reason, several Amerindian populations were decimated. Furthermore, the disease killed Inca ruler Wayna Capac, triggering a civil war in the Inca empire that preceded the conquest efforts the Spaniards. Thus, the conquest was facilitated by the weakness of the Inca empire which was recovering from both a civil war and epidemics of unknown diseases.
However, other reasons for the decrease of Amerindian population include violence during the conquest followed by the breakdown of the Inca social system and famine. The Amerindian population suffered further decrease as the Spanish exploited an Inca communal labor system called mita for mining purposes, thus killing thousands in forced labor.
Spaniards arrived in small numbers under colonial rule. After independence, there has been a gradual European immigration from Austria, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, Croatia and Spain.Mario Vázquez, "Immigration and mestizaje in nineteenth-century Peru", pp. 79–81. Polynesians also came to the country lured to work in the Guano islands during the boom years of this commodity around the 1860s. Chinese arrived in the 1850s as a replacement for slave workers in the sugar plantations of the north coast and have since become a major influence in Peruvian society.Magnus Mörner, Race mixture in the history of Latin America, p. 131. Other immigrant groups include Arabs (namely from Levant/West Asian countries), South Asians, Japanese, Americans and Colombians.
Since 2014, Peru has experienced a massive rise in the immigrant population from nearby Venezuela. In May 2023, the estimated population of Venezuelans in Peru is 1,600,000, being the second most popular destination for Venezuelans after Colombia.
Mestizos compose about 60% of the total population. The term traditionally denotes Amerindian (mostly Quechua ancestry) and European ancestry (mostly Spaniard ancestry). This term, was part of the caste classification during colonial times, whereby people of exclusive Spanish descent but born in the colonies were called criollos, people of mixed Amerindian and Spanish descent were called mestizos, those of African and Spanish descent were called mullatoes, and those of Amerindian and African descent were called Zambos. Some mestizos are urban dwellers and show some European inheritance in regions like Lima Region, La Libertad Region, Callao Region, San Martín Region, Cajamarca Region, Piura Region, Amazonas Region, Lambayeque Region, and Arequipa Region.