Demographics of Peru

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This article is about the residents or nationals of Peru. For information on Peruvians as an ethnic group, see Peruvian People. For other uses, see Peruvian (disambiguation)

1 Overview
2 Language
3 Education
4 References

[edit] Overview

People from peruvian andean region.

Almost half of all Peruvians are Amerindian, or 45 percent of the total population^{[citation needed]}. The two major indigenous ethnic groups are the Quechuas, followed closely by the Aymaras, as well as several dozen small Amerindian ethnic tribes scattered throughout the country beyond the Andes Mountains and in the Amazon basin. Mestizos, a term that denotes people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, constitute around 42% of the people^{[citation needed]} (other demographers stated more than half of the population, including whites may be mestizo^{[citation needed]}). Peruvians of European descent (predominantly of Spanish and sparingly of other European backgrounds, since Peru had fewer immigration than Argentina or compared that to Chile, make up about 10% of the population^{[citation needed]}.

The remaining 3% is constituted by Afro-Peruvians, Chinese Peruvians and persons of Japanese descent^{[citation needed]}. Despite the presence of Peruvians of Asian heritage being quite recent, in the past decade they have made significant advancements in business and political fields; a past president (Alberto Fujimori), several past cabinet members, and several members of the Peruvian congress are of Japanese or Chinese origin. Small numbers of Arab Peruvians, mostly of Lebanese and Syrian origin, also reside.

Most of Peru's population (about 40% percent) lives in the Costa (coastal area), while 36% live in the Sierra (the Andes) and only 12% in the Llanos or Amazon rainforest^{[citation needed]}. Almost one third of the nation's population lives in the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area^{[citation needed]}. Lima is home to over 8 million Peruvians, one of South America's largest urban areas, includes the neighboring community of Callao that grown fast and expanded since the 1960s.

Socioeconomic and cultural indicators are increasingly important as identifiers. For example, Peruvians of Amerindian descent who have adopted aspects of Hispanic culture also are considered "mestizo". With economic development, access to education, intermarriage, and largescale migration from rural to urban areas, a more homogeneous national culture is developing, mainly along the relatively more prosperous coast. Peru has shared cultural traits with neighboring countries of Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile.

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Peru had a long history of emigration, millions of Peruvians left the country for employment or political asylum in the US (see Peruvian American) and other countries in South America (Brazil and Argentina), North America (Mexico and Costa Rica), Europe (Spain and France), and Australia. The Japanese immigration policy enacted in 1991 increased the quota of Peruvians among other South American nationalities, including Japanese Peruvians interested in going to live in their ancestral homeland.

[edit] Language

Peru has two official languages--Spanish and the foremost indigenous language, Quechua. Spanish is used by the government and the media and in education and commerce. Amerindians who live in the Andean highlands speak Quechua and Aymara and are ethnically distinct from the diverse indigenous groups who live on the eastern side of the Andes and in the tropical lowlands adjacent to the Amazon basin.

Peru's distinct geographical regions are mirrored in a socioeconomic divide between the coast's mestizo-Hispanic culture and the more diverse, traditional Andean cultures of the mountains and highlands. The indigenous populations east of the Andes speak various languages and dialects. Some of these groups still adhere to traditional customs, while others have been almost completely assimilated into the mestizo-Hispanic culture.

[edit] Education

Under the 1993 constitution, primary education is free and compulsory. The system is highly centralized, with the Ministry of Education appointing all public school teachers. Eighty-three percent of Peru's students attend public schools at all levels, but over 15 percent (usually the upper-classes) attend private schools if their parents can afford to pay for the tuition.

School enrollment has been rising sharply for years, due to a widening educational effort by the government and a growing school-age population. The illiteracy rate is estimated at 12.5% (17.4% for women), 28.0% in rural areas and 5.6% in urban areas. Quechua is an oral language. In some cases, in rural areas, people do not speak Spanish and therefore do not know how to read or write. Elementary and secondary school enrollment is about 7.7 million. Peru's 74 universities (1999), 39% public and 61% private institutions, enrolled about 322,000 students in 1999.

♠==Current (2006) Demographic data from CIA World Factbook==♠

Demographics of Peru, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population: 28,302,603 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.9% (male 4,456,195/female 4,300,233)
15-64 years: 63.7% (male 9,078,123; female 8,961,981)
65 years and over: 5.3% (male 709,763; female 796,308) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.32% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 20.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 6.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 30.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.84 years
male: 68.05 years
female: 71.71 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.51 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Peruvian(s)
adjective: Peruvian

Ethnic groups: Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 42%, white/Caucasian 10% (if they have mostly European ancestry or low degree of Amerindian descent), black/Afro-Peruvian, Japanese, Chinese, and Arab/Middle-Eastern (although are white) 3%.

Religions: Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.) [1]

Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.7%
male: 93.5%
female: 82.1% (2004 est.)