Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Peru: population and ages

Peru: 34.8 million people on 1 January 2026, number 48 of 237 countries and areas by population.

The UN projects growth until 2066, to a peak of 41.7 million, and a decline after that.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
34,752,525
Median age
30.5
Births in 2026
532,846
Deaths in 2026
200,302
Life expectancy at birth
78.3
Children per woman
1.93
Under 15
23.4%
65 and over
9.6%
Population pyramid, Peru, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+0100K100K200K200K300K300K
Population pyramid, Peru, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 7.68 million people, so the population is now 4.5 times as large.

The UN projects 533,000 births and 200,000 deaths in 2026, 333,000 more births than deaths.

The UN projects the first year with more deaths than births in 2067.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010M20M30M40M50M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Peru: 34.9M

Ages

The median age is 30.5, close to the world’s 31.1.

23% of the people are under 15 and 9.6% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

The UN projects that people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 15 from 2051.

Women have 1.9 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 6.9 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 78.3 years, above the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 46.0.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100PeruWorld
2026 Peru: 31World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 40.6 million people, 16% more than now, with a median age of 39.1.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 20240200K400K600K800K1950197520002025205020752100DeathsBirths
2026 Births: 532.8KDeaths: 200.3K

Compare Peru with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 57% of the people lived in cities, 17% in towns and semi-dense areas and 26% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 60% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet82.0%2024
Access to electricity96.5%2024
Adult literacy (ages 15 and over)93.7%2024
95.6%2024
78.8%2024
93.0%2024
Human Development Index0.7942023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 77.7 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 20.9 more years for women and 18.1 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 14.3 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 27.0.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 38.2 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 19 million to 71.3 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 1.84 million international migrants lived here, 5.4% of the population.

In mid-2024, 1.67 million people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Venezuela1,596,667
Argentina30,704
Colombia25,477
Bolivia22,190
Chile19,221
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
United States512,316
Spain352,470
Chile261,522
Argentina156,019
Italy127,352

Counted by country of birth. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 43.

CityPopulation 2025
Lima10,580,241
Arequipa977,496
Trujillo949,018
Chiclayo620,622
Caleta Sanitaria572,154
Cusco490,968
Piura471,521
Huancayo470,685
Chimbote350,281
Tacna327,582

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Peru every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
19507,677,41417.9368,545155,99046.06.94
196010,174,12717.1477,302174,37950.66.94
197013,501,23716.8572,069254,05747.76.32
198017,360,94917.4633,522188,41160.05.04
199022,014,77118.8685,187169,96464.03.91
200026,598,33121.4633,999149,77269.82.85
201029,086,01925.2578,360195,84572.92.42
202032,838,58028.5545,443243,51073.82.06
203036,193,88032.0520,799217,40679.01.87
204038,794,64935.5488,629262,85580.71.79
205040,583,87639.1455,111313,82082.31.74
206041,535,48642.0427,685369,93383.81.72
207041,644,88544.5399,351425,01285.11.70
208040,981,47446.4374,085469,37886.31.70
209039,736,46747.8350,439490,80887.31.69
210038,163,31848.9327,342490,85788.41.68

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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