Factbook dossier
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 Cornej…
Location
Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador
Area
total : 1,285,216 sq km land: 1,279,996 sq km water: 5,220 sq km
Natural resources
copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas
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"
Population
total: 32,768,614 (2025 est.) male: 16,016,448 female: 16,752,166
Ethnic groups
Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 60.2%, Indigenous 25.8%, White 5.9%, African descent 3.6%, other (includes Chinese and Japanese descent) 1.2%, unspecified 3.3% (2017 est.)
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 informaci n b sica. (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% (2017 est.)
Environmental issues
deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing leading to soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes; overfishing
Government type
presidential republic
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
Executive branch
chief of state: President Jos Enrique JER Or (since 10 October 2025) head of government: President Jos Enrique JER Or (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 election results: 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, Jos Enrique JER Or , was sworn in as the new president after Congress overwhelmingly voted to remove BOLUARTE from office note 2: Prime Minister Ernesto LVAREZ (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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$535.911 billion (2024 est.) $518.771 billion (2023 est.) $520.872 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$15,700 (2024 est.) $15,300 (2023 est.) $15,600 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2% (2024 est.) 6.5% (2023 est.) 8.3% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
China 34%, USA 14%, Canada 5%, India 4%, Switzerland 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
China 26%, USA 21%, Brazil 7%, Argentina 5%, Mexico 3% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
Armed Forces of Peru (Fuerzas Armadas del Per or FAP): Peruvian Army (Ejercito del Peru), Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru, MGP, includes naval infantry and General Directorate of Captaincies and Coast Guards, DICAPI), Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) Ministry of the Interior: Peruvian National Police (Polic a Nacional del Per , PNP) (2025)
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.)