Countries › Peru › Guide › 2. Macro and country context › Peru's population, regions and labor market: where people live and work

Peru's population, regions and labor market: where people live and work

Last verified: 2026-10-28 · Status: Stable

The 2025 national census counted Peru's total population at 34,157,732, growing 1.11 percent a year since 2017 partly through immigration; 80.6 percent live in urban areas, 58.7 percent on the coast and 29.7 percent in Lima Metropolitana. The country is organised into regions and departments, provinces and 1,892 districts, with Lima under a special regime. About 17.8 million people work; national unemployment fell to 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2026 and Lima's to 4.4 percent in the third quarter, but informality remains the defining feature: even in Lima and Callao about 54 percent of jobs are informal, and above 80 percent in some highland cities.

USD figures use S/ 3.452 per US dollar, the banking system selling rate published by the Superintendencia de Banca, Seguros y AFP for 27 October 2026 (BCRP series PD04640PD). Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Total population, 2025 census (counted plus estimated omission)	34157732 peopleINEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-05-29 · in force
Average annual population growth, 2017 to 2025	1.11 %INEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-05-29 · in force
Urban share of population, 2025	80.6 %INEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-07-10 · in force
Lima Metropolitana share of population, 2025	29.7 %INEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-05-29 · in force
Lima Metropolitana population, 2025	10129708 peopleINEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-05-29 · in force
Population living on the coast, 2025	58.7 %INEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-07-10 · in force
Foreign residents counted, 2025	1053000 peopleINEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-07-10 · in force
Population under 15, 2025	22.7 %INEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-05-29 · in force
Population aged 60 and over, 2025	14.8 %INEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-05-29 · in force
Average age, 2025	34.2 yearsINEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-05-29 · in force
Ageing index (people 60 and over per 100 under 15), 2025	65 indexINEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-05-29 · in force
Districts	1892 districtsINEI Censos Nacionales 2025, as of 2026-07-10 · in force
National unemployment rate, Q2 2026	4.2 %INEI EPEN, as of 2026-06-30 · in force
National unemployment rate, 2025	4.9 %INEI EPEN, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Lima Metropolitana unemployment rate, July to September 2026	4.4 %INEI EPEN, as of 2026-09-30 · in force
Employed people nationwide, Q2 2026	17782000 peopleINEI EPEN, as of 2026-06-30 · in force
Average monthly labor income nationwide, July 2025 to June 2026	1966.3 PENINEI EPEN, as of 2026-06-30 · in force
Informal employment rate, Lima Metropolitana and Callao, July 2025 to June 2026	53.6 %INEI EPEN, as of 2026-06-30 · in force

The rule

1. The territory is made up of regions, departments, provinces and districts, in which government is organised at national, regional and local level. The regional level covers regions and departments; the local level covers provinces, districts and populated centres. Regionalisation began by electing governments in the existing departments and the Constitutional Province of Callao; two or more contiguous departments may merge into a region by referendum. The capital is not part of any region and has a special regime, with the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima exercising its powers within the province of Lima.Constitución Política del Perú de 1993, Art. 189, art. 190 and art. 198, 1993-12-30 official text · verified 2026-10-28

2. First results of the 2025 National Censuses (XIII Population, VIII Housing and IV Indigenous Communities), taken from August to October 2025: total population 34,157,732, of whom 32,706,028 were counted and 1,451,704 (4.25 percent) estimated as omitted by the post census survey. Population grew by about 2.92 million since 2017, 1.11 percent a year (1.02 percent in 2007 to 2017), linked among other factors to immigration. Women are 50.6 percent. People aged 15 to 59 are 62.5 percent, under 15 fell from 26.5 to 22.7 percent and 60 and over rose from 11.7 to 14.8 percent; average age is 34.2 years and the ageing index is 65 people aged 60 or more per 100 under 15. Lima Metropolitana has 10,129,708 people (29.7 percent); next are Piura (2,115,587), La Libertad (2,056,560) and Arequipa (1,814,396).INEI, Censos Nacionales 2025, first results (press note), National results, 2026-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-28

3. Provincial and district census results: 80.6 percent of the population is urban and 19.4 percent rural (6.33 million). The coast holds 58.7 percent of the population, the highlands 26.7 percent and the jungle 14.3 percent. 27 provinces have more than 200,000 people; the province of Lima has 9.6 million, and Arequipa, Trujillo and the Constitutional Province of Callao each exceed 1 million. The country has 1,892 districts; San Juan de Lurigancho is the largest with 1,125,000 people. The census counted 1,053,000 foreign residents, 80.0 percent of them aged 15 to 59 and 65.5 percent living in Lima Metropolitana.INEI, Censos Nacionales 2025, provincial and district results (press note), Provincial and district results, 2026-07-10 official text · verified 2026-10-28

4. National labor market, second quarter 2026: 17,782,000 people employed, up 1.8 percent on a year earlier; unemployment 4.2 percent, down from 5.9 percent (4.8 percent urban, 1.2 percent rural). Construction led job creation (up 12.2 percent) while primary activities (agriculture, fishing and mining) shed 3.9 percent. Average monthly labor income was S/ 1,966.3 in July 2025 to June 2026, up 8.9 percent. In July 2025 to June 2026 informal employment was highest in Juliaca (82.3 percent), Pucallpa (74.5 percent) and Bagua Grande (74.0 percent) and lowest in Moquegua (53.4 percent), Lima Metropolitana and Callao (53.6 percent) and Ica (53.7 percent). For 2025 as a whole unemployment was 4.9 percent and employment 17,575,200.
Cost to do it: Average monthly labor income S/ 1,966.3, about US$570.
Example: S/ 1,966.3 a month / About US$570 a monthINEI, Perú: Comportamiento de los Indicadores del Mercado Laboral a nivel Nacional y en 28 Ciudades, EPEN (press notes), Second quarter 2026 and year 2025 reports, 2026-08-15 official text · verified 2026-10-28

5. Lima Metropolitana, July to September 2026: 6,013,300 people employed, up 6.0 percent (339,300) on a year earlier; unemployment 4.4 percent, down 1.3 points from 5.7 percent, with 274,900 people actively looking for work. Employment in firms with 51 or more workers rose 11.0 percent. Average monthly income from the main job was S/ 2,302.0 (S/ 2,593.8 for men and S/ 1,954.1 for women).
Cost to do it: Average Lima monthly income S/ 2,302.0, about US$667.
Example: S/ 2,302.0 a month / About US$667 a monthINEI, Situación del Mercado Laboral en Lima Metropolitana, EPEN (press note), Moving quarter July to September 2026, 2026-10-15 official text · verified 2026-10-28

Area	Population	Note
Lima Metropolitana	10,129,708	29.7% of the total
Piura	2,115,587
La Libertad	2,056,560	Trujillo, La Esperanza, El Porvenir
Arequipa	1,814,396
Cusco	1,379,000	INEI note of 4 August 2026

Most populous departments and areas, 2025 census (INEI).

Indicator	Value	Period
Employed, national	17,782,000	Q2 2026
Unemployment, national	4.2% (5.9% a year earlier)	Q2 2026
Unemployment, Lima Metropolitana	4.4% (5.7% a year earlier)	July to September 2026
Average monthly labor income, national	S/ 1,966.3 (about US$570)	July 2025 to June 2026
Average monthly income, Lima	S/ 2,302.0 (about US$667)	July to September 2026
Informal employment, Lima and Callao	53.6%	July 2025 to June 2026
Informal employment, Juliaca	82.3%	July 2025 to June 2026

Labor market snapshot (INEI EPEN). USD at S/ 3.452, for orientation only.

Worked example

Sizing a consumer market. A retailer targeting Lima Metropolitana addresses about 10.1 million people, 29.7 percent of the country; adding Piura, La Libertad and Arequipa brings the total to about 16.1 million, close to half of Peru.
Wage benchmarks. Average monthly labor income was S/ 1,966.3 nationwide (about US$570) and S/ 2,302.0 in Lima (about US$667). Formal hiring adds statutory costs on top of salary; the labor section sets out the legal minimum wage, contributions and benefits.

Step by step

1. Use the 2025 census platform and INEI department notes to size markets by province and district before choosing locations.
2. Check the monthly Lima and quarterly national EPEN labor reports for wage and hiring conditions in your city; the 28 city report shows large gaps in unemployment and informality.
3. Budget for formal employment costs from the labor section; many local competitors operate informally, which affects price comparisons.
4. For regional projects, combine population data with the regional budget and canon data on macro/regions-canon-and-decentralization.

Common traps

Comparing census and survey numbers. The census total includes an estimated omitted population of 1.45 million; survey based labor data use their own samples and periods.
Mixing Lima definitions. INEI reports 10.13 million for Lima Metropolitana in its national note but 9.6 million for the province of Lima in its provincial note; check which unit a figure uses.
Reading low unemployment as a tight formal labor market. Informality above half of employment, even in Lima, means formal hiring pools are much smaller than headline employment.

Sources

← Peru's external sector: mining exports, the current account, foreign direct investment and reservesRegions, the mining canon and decentralization in Peru: who gets the money and why it matters for projects →

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