Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Peru at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
64%
of electricity
Food imported
12%
of merchandise imports · ~US$7,231m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Peru.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Peru, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHealth
Over two thirds of adults are overweight
In 2022, 68.1% of adults in Peru were overweight, according to WHO estimates published by the World Bank.
Source: World Bank, Prevalence of overweight (% of adults): Peru · 2022
SoberingHealth
Half the population lacks safely managed water
In 2024, only 49.4% of Peruvians used safely managed drinking water services.
SoberingEnvironment
Heavy fine particle air pollution
In 2023, people in Peru were exposed to an average of 31.1 micrograms of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) per cubic metre of air.
Source: World Bank, PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure: Peru · 2023
SoberingEnvironment
Tropical glaciers in retreat
Huascarán National Park sits in the Cordillera Blanca, the world's highest tropical mountain range. IUCN reports significant glacier retreat linked to climate change, and in 2025 it rated the park's conservation outlook as of significant concern.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Huascarán National Park · 2025
RemarkableNature
850 bird species in one park
Some 850 bird species have been recorded in Manú National Park, which climbs from 150 m to 4,200 m above sea level across 1.5 million hectares. Giant otters and giant armadillos also live there.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Manú National Park · 2025
RemarkableNature
27 glacier peaks above 6,000 metres
The Cordillera Blanca has 27 glacier covered peaks above 6,000 m, topped by Huascarán at 6,768 m, Peru's highest mountain.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Huascarán National Park · 2025
RemarkableEnvironment
Most electricity from renewables
Renewable sources produced 61.8% of Peru's electricity in 2021.
The History of Peru.
Peru sustains a broad living heritage, with 14 practices on UNESCO's intangible heritage lists, from Taquile textile art in 2008 to ceviche in 2023 and Sarawja, the Aymara music and dance of Moquegua, in 2025. The scissors dance of Quechua communities was inscribed in 2010, and the marinera, declared national heritage in 1986, is a candidate for inscription in 2027.
Where the name comes from
The historian Raúl Porras Barrenechea traced the name to Birú, a Panamanian chief, and held that it arose from a geographical and linguistic error by the Spanish conquistadors and had no Quechua or Carib origin, according to El Peruano, Peru's official newspaper. The anthropologist Paul Rivet argued for a different origin.
The land itself: the coastal plain, the high Andes through the centre, and the Amazon lowland to the east. Its high point is Nevado Huascarán, 6,746 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
The oldest civilisation in the Americas
A highland cave at Pikimachay in Ayacucho holds debated evidence of people at the end of the last ice age, and the potato was domesticated near Lake Titicaca about 8,000 years ago, with over 4,000 native varieties still grown in the Andean highlands. Between 3000 and 1800 BC, Caral in the Supe valley built six large pyramidal structures, sunken circular courts and a planned city, the oldest known centre of civilisation in the Americas, and its people already used the quipu, the knotted cord, to keep records.
How it got here
Chavín to Tawantinsuyu
A cult centred on Chavín de Huántar spread across a wide territory of the Andes between about 1500 and 300 BC. The Nazca lines were scratched into the desert floor between about 500 BC and AD 500. In the 15th century the Inca road network, more than 30,000 km long with places for trade, storage and lodging, reached its greatest extent across the Andes. Francisco Pizarro founded Lima in January 1535, and it stayed the capital of Spain's South American lands until the middle of the eighteenth century. Peru proclaimed independence in July 1821.
The timeline
Late Pleistocene
Pikimachay and the first Andeans.
Stone tools and bones with cut marks from Pikimachay cave in Ayacucho point to people in the central Andes at the end of the last ice age, although the finds are still debated. Source
c. 8000 years ago
Potatoes.
Near Lake Titicaca, on the border of today's Peru and Bolivia, communities begin domesticating the wild potatoes that grow around the lake. Source
c. 5,000 years ago
Caral.
Six large pyramid structures and a planned city overlooking the Supe valley make Caral the oldest known centre of civilisation in the Americas. Source
c. 1500 to 300 BC
Chavín.
Chavin de Huantar, an ancient place of worship in an Andean valley, gives its name to the culture that grew up here, known for its stone terraces, plazas and animal carvings. Source
c. 500 BC to AD 500
The Nazca lines.
Lines and figures of creatures, plants and imaginary beings, some several kilometres long, are scratched into the ground. They are thought to have had ritual astronomical uses. Source
15th century
The Inca road network.
The Inca road network, over 30,000 km long, reaches its greatest extent across the Andes, with places for trade, lodging and storage along the way. Source
1535
Spanish rule.
Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro founds Lima in January 1535. Until the middle of the eighteenth century it is the capital and most important city of Spain's lands in South America. Source
1821
Independence.
Independence from Spain is proclaimed in July 1821 under General José de San Martín. Source
UNESCO World Heritage, Sacred City of Caral-Supe · Ministerio de Cultura del Perú · International Potato Center, Lima · UNESCO World Heritage, Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System · UNESCO World Heritage, Historic Centre of Lima · Yataco, Revisión de las evidencias de Pikimachay, Boletín de Arqueología PUCP 15 (2011) · FAO, International Year of the Potato 2008, The potato origins (archived) · UNESCO World Heritage, Chavín (Archaeological Site) · UNESCO World Heritage, Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa · US Department of State, Office of the Historian, Peru
Nature and Biodiversity in Peru.
Terrestrial protected areas cover about 22.3 percent of the land (World Bank, 2021), managed by SERNANP and including Manu, Tambopata, Huascaran and Paracas, and Peru created the vast Nazca Ridge (Dorsal de Nasca) marine reserve in 2021. The system is strong on paper, but illegal gold mining, logging and coca cultivation erode parts of the Amazon. Marine protection registered a low 0.5 percent in the 2021 dataset, before the new reserve is fully reflected.
Is wild Peru protected? 22.1% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Peru?
Forest cover52.7%
Terrestrial protected area22.27%
Marine protected area7.9%
802 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · GBIF occurrence data · IUCN Red List, threatened species by country (Summary Statistics, Table 5) · World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters), Peru · World Bank, Threatened species indicators (mammals, birds, fish, higher plants), Peru · IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Huascarán National Park
Found only here. Vicuna, Andean condor, spectacled bear, giant otter and many endemic Andean birds
The watchlist
ThreatenedAndean Titi (Plecturocebus oenanthe) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedWaved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedLima Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus sentosus) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (reptile).
ThreatenedPeruphasma schultei Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
ThreatenedHaageocereus tenuis Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (plant, Haageocereus tenuis only; Carex acutata is Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List and should be removed from this watchlist).
ThreatenedYellow-tailed Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedWhite-bellied Cinclodes (Cinclodes palliatus) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Andean Titi (Plecturocebus oenanthe)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Peru. GBIF holds 27 verified occurrence records.
Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Peru. GBIF holds 233 verified occurrence records.
Lima Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus sentosus)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Peru. GBIF holds 3 verified occurrence records.
Peruphasma schultei
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Peru. GBIF holds 2 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Peru filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Ancash, mapped and named in the open record for Peru. OpenStreetMap.
National park in San Martín, mapped and named in the open record for Peru. OpenStreetMap.
National park, mapped and named in the open record for Peru. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Pasco, mapped and named in the open record for Peru. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Peru.
Nationally Peru is water rich through the Amazon basin, Andean glaciers and Lake Titicaca, but the resource is badly matched to the people: most Peruvians live on the arid Pacific coast, and Lima is one of the world's largest desert cities, dependent on rivers fed by shrinking glaciers. WHO/UNICEF JMP and World Bank data put safely managed drinking water at about 51.3 percent of the population in 2020. Coastal water stress and glacial retreat are real pressures, and tap water is not reliably safe for visitors.
Does Peru have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
49.4% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Coverage is well short of universal, so a visitor should not assume the tap is safe.
Cleanest water: High Andean lakes such as Laguna 69 and Amazon headwaters
How much fresh water does Peru have, per person?
49,021 m³
Peru
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Peru withdraws about 25,919 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 4.8% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 81%, homes and towns 12%, industry 6%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Peru beaches?
✕Tap water: Not drinkable.
✓Plastic rules: Yes, single use plastics regulated and phased out under Law 30884 of 2018.
✕Solo travel: rated take care on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 0.48% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Playa Chorrillos, Playa Hermosa, Playa Kon Tiki, Playa La Calichera, Playa La Ensenada, Playa La Estrella, Playa La Joya, Playa La Vina. That is 16 named beaches in the public record for Peru, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
56.5%
of people have safely managed sanitation
56.5% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). The rest is what the rivers and the coast receive.
How is the sea around Peru doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Andes: dry May–Sep, wet Nov–Mar; Amazon is hot and humid all year, wettest Nov–May.
Nearshore
Protected water
7.9% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
High Andean lakes such as Laguna 69 and Amazon headwaters.
The record
Measured
Nationally Peru is water rich through the Amazon basin, Andean glaciers and Lake Titicaca, but the resource is badly matched to the people: most Peruvians live on the arid Pacific coast, and Lima is one of the world's largest desert cities, dependent on rivers fed by shrinking glaciers. WHO/UNICEF JMP and World Bank data put safely managed drinking water at about 51.3 percent of the population in 2020.
Peru scored 66 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, below the global average of 72, and ranked 171st of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
7.9%
Of territorial waters protected in 2025 (World Bank), against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
802 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list (2022), 51 mammals, 93 birds, 90 fish and 568 plants.
Is the tap water safe in Peru?
49.4% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 49,021 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 0 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 4.8% of what Peru renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
When is the best time to visit Peru? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Peru actually have?
Nature renews about 49,021 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Peru 198 of 208 countries measured, placing it among the 20 best-watered countries measured. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Peru.
The potato was first domesticated near Lake Titicaca about 8,000 years ago, and over 4,000 native varieties still grow in the Andean highlands. Potatoes and rice lead the national diet, at about 64 kg and 47 kg a person a year, alongside maize, beans and aji (INEI, 2008 to 2009). Avocados, fresh grapes, blueberries and asparagus are among Peru's leading farm exports.
Where does the food in Peru come from?
11.9% imported
about US$7,231m a year
On the plate: Native potatoes, maize varieties, quinoa, beans, aji peppers, rice, tropical fruit
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$7,231m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 11.9% of everything Peru buys in from abroad is food, roughly 1 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 7.5% of the economy and 19.1% of the land is agricultural, of which 3.1% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Peru? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined41.6%
Diabetes6.4%
We found no official national count. A study at the Edgardo Rebagliati Martins National Hospital in Lima reviewed the 114 patients admitted to internal medicine with diabetic foot disease in 2024 and found that 46.5 per cent had an amputation. Most arrived with gangrene, and 7 per cent died in hospital. Source: Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pública, 2026.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 68.1%.
Can Peru feed itself?
3.1%
Arable land
19.1%
Agricultural land
4,451,673
Farmers
9,682,639
Arable acres
7.5%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Andean potato and maize harvest around May to July; coffee April to September; Amazon fruit varies
Feeding itself
Peru is a centre of crop origin and an agricultural powerhouse, home to thousands of native potato varieties plus maize, quinoa, beans and aji, and a leading exporter of avocado, blueberry, asparagus and grape. Staple self sufficiency in native crops is high and markets brim with domestic produce, though wheat and feed grains are imported.
Certification
FiBL records about 1.5 percent of agricultural land as certified organic in 2020, roughly 343,000 hectares, and Peru is a top global exporter of organic coffee, cacao and banana grown by smallholder cooperatives.
Water for crops
Nationally Peru is water rich through the Amazon basin, Andean glaciers and Lake Titicaca, but the resource is badly matched to the people: most Peruvians live on the arid Pacific coast, and Lima is one of the world's largest desert cities, dependent on rivers fed by shrinking glaciers. WHO/UNICEF JMP and World Bank data put safely managed drinking water at about 51.3 percent of the population in 2020.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 19.1% of the country is agricultural land and 3.1% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
SugarcanePotatoesRiceBananasMaizeOil palm fruitCassavaGrapes
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Peru are sugar cane, potatoes, rice, bananas and maize (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: Mercado "La Parada, Mercado Artesanal, Mercado Cautivo de Ayabaca, Mercado Central de Cajabamba, Mercado Convento, Mercado Cooperativo Reynoso. Each is a mapped, named marketplace, so the money stays with the seller rather than the importer. OpenStreetMap.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Raw Cafe, vegan restaurant and organic shop in Miraflores, Lima: breakfast, lunch, raw food and desserts; SAMSARA, vegan restaurant and bar in Miraflores, Lima: vegan versions of Peruvian dishes plus pasta and burgers; Florencia Vegan Kitchen, vegan restaurant and café in Barranco, Lima: soups, breads, mains, pasta and sandwiches; Oiga, vegan restaurant in Miraflores, Lima: Peruvian classics such as ocopa, anticuchos and chicharrón made without meat; OKEY Al Natural, vegan restaurant in Breña, Lima: a meal of the day, empanadas, burgers and rice plates. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Peru?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
Native potatoesMaize varietiesQuinoaBeansAji peppersRiceTropical fruit
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · HappyCow, Best Vegan Restaurants in Lima 2026 · Julon-Buitron JM, Paz-Ibarra JL, Characteristics of patients hospitalized for diabetic foot in a national hospital in Peru, 2024 (Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica 2026), PubMed · INEI, Perú, Consumo per cápita de los principales alimentos 2008-2009 · International Potato Center, Potato facts and figures · FAO, International Year of the Potato 2008, The potato origins (archived) · Andina (Midagri), Peru agro-exports reach US$6.84 billion in Jan to Jul 2026
Climate and Energy in Peru.
Roughly 60% of Peru's electricity comes from renewables, overwhelmingly hydropower which supplies close to half of generation, with natural gas making up most of the rest. Fossil carbon dioxide emissions are low at about 2.05 tonnes per person in 2024. Peru has committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and released an updated National Climate Change Strategy to 2050 in late 2024, although the Climate Action Tracker notes that political instability has slowed delivery. A target of 20% wind and solar in the power mix by 2030 aims to broaden the renewable base beyond hydro.
What powers Peru?
Renewable 63.7%Fossil 36.4%
Peru's high voltage grid is run by private concession holders rather than the state. The biggest is ISA REP, part of Colombia's ISA group, whose control centre in Lima monitors about 75 per cent of the energy transmitted in the country (March 2024). The national interconnected system is coordinated by COES, a private non profit body made up of all generators, transmission companies, distributors and large users, which runs the system at least cost, runs the short term power market and plans new transmission lines. Osinergmin, the public regulator attached to the Prime Minister's office, sets electricity tariffs and checks that power companies supply safely and reliably.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
2.02 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
2.02 tonnes
The grid
Roughly 60% of Peru's electricity comes from renewables, overwhelmingly hydropower which supplies close to half of generation, with natural gas making up most of the rest. Fossil carbon dioxide emissions are low at about 2.05 tonnes per person in 2024.
Pollution
Peru's Law 30884 of 2018 progressively bans single use plastics and prohibited plastic bags and straws immediately in natural and cultural protected areas, a genuine national policy. Against that, ambient PM2.5 averaged about 24.8 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2017), high and driven by Lima traffic, and illegal Amazon gold mining releases mercury.
Water stress
Nationally Peru is water rich through the Amazon basin, Andean glaciers and Lake Titicaca, but the resource is badly matched to the people: most Peruvians live on the arid Pacific coast, and Lima is one of the world's largest desert cities, dependent on rivers fed by shrinking glaciers. WHO/UNICEF JMP and World Bank data put safely managed drinking water at about 51.3 percent of the population in 2020.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.37%
2Industry Illegal gold mining in Madre de Dios (La Pampa), which drives Amazon deforestation and mercury pollution; Amazon oil spills.named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.24.8
4On the record Peru's Law 30884 of 2018 progressively bans single use plastics and prohibited plastic bags and straws immediately in natural and cultural protected areas, a genuine national policy.
What has Peru promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050
Electricity renewable today61.8% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target22.1% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target7.9% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050, status: in policy document. Measured against it, 61.8% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 38.2% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year2.02 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy3.39 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy2.67 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.31 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy1.96 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy1.93 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Peru emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. In February 2018 the World Bank issued a joint earthquake catastrophe bond for the four Pacific Alliance countries, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, which gave Peru up to US$200 million of cover for three years to February 2021. Peru's finance ministry said it was the first time in history Peru had catastrophe insurance against earthquake damage. A little over a year later a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Peru and met the bond's trigger, paying Peru US$60 million, according to the World Bank Treasury.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · Energiminas, Desde el Centro de Control de ISA REP se transmite más del 75% de la energía del Perú (13 March 2024) · COES SINAC, Quiénes somos · Wikipedia (Spanish), Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Energía y Minería · Andina (Peru state news agency), World Bank issues US$200 million Peru earthquake cat bond (6 February 2018) · Wharton Risk Center, Uniting Disaster Risk Transfer with Sustainable Development: A Q&A with the World Bank Treasury
AI and Data Centres in Peru.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Peru.
Data centres
15
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
63.7 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Peru?
A machine here runs mostly on renewables, but not entirely.
Renewable 63.7%Fossil 36.3%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 61.8% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Peru has 15 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Lima (8), Santiago de Surco (2), Arequipa (2), alongside 14 internet exchanges (Nap Peru, PIT - Peru, Lima, JumboIX Peru, PIT - Peru, Arequipa). Named sites include Internexa Lima San Juan, Internexa Lima Surco, IPTP, San Isidro, Lima, Peru, Cirion Lima, LIM1.
Where the cables land. 3 landing points · Ilo, Lurin, Mancora
Economy and Tourism in Peru.
87% residents to 13% visitors across a year. 5,275,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 34,576,665 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Peru
1,119k
Visitors a year
0.0
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Peru?· for every $100 Peru earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2003 peak
$ 49The worst year on the IMF record. Peru owed $49 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2003signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 30What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 32The IMF's own forecast has this rising to $32 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Peru earns in a year, it owes $30 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Peru?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 5,275,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 34,576,665 residents, one visitor a year for every 7 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Peru is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is only 11.9% of everything Peru imports (2024, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugarcane, potatoes, rice, bananas, maize, oil palm fruit, cassava, grapes, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown4
The power
61.8% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power stay inside Peru. This is not an economy where a visitor's money drains away, and the board is shorter for it.
most of it6
Pay the bank first
Peru owes $30 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$30 per $1007
No plan B
41.9% of everything Peru sells abroad is ores, slag and ash (2023, UN Comtrade). One market moving takes the whole board with it.
41.9% one export8
Community chest
Tourism earns 2.2% of everything Peru makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
2.2% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Singapore a return economy seat is 3.39 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
3.39 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$381 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$381bnGDPUS$334.9bn
Agriculture, share of GDP7.5%
Visitors a year1,119,000
Visitors per resident0
Residents~34,576,665
Agriculture
Farming is 7.5% of the economy. Peru is a centre of crop origin and an agricultural powerhouse, home to thousands of native potato varieties plus maize, quinoa, beans and aji, and a leading exporter of avocado, blueberry, asparagus and grape.
Natural materials
Peru sustains a world renowned natural fibre tradition: alpaca and the ultra fine vicuna, the finest animal fibre in the world, plus pima and native coloured cotton, all woven on backstrap looms in communities such as Chinchero and on Taquile island, whose textile art is UNESCO listed. These are living, daily crafts and a serious export.
Energy
Roughly 60% of Peru's electricity comes from renewables, overwhelmingly hydropower which supplies close to half of generation, with natural gas making up most of the rest. Fossil carbon dioxide emissions are low at about 2.05 tonnes per person in 2024.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Peru?
By rooms · company records and press.
Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica · ~35 roomsIndependentnot published
Las Qolqas · ~16 roomsIndependentnot published
Refugio Amazonas · ~32 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20154,381k
20164,718k
20174,992k
20185,384k
20195,275k
20201,119k
International tourism receipts run at about US$1.00 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 2.2% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Peru, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, native potatoes, maize varieties, quinoa, beans, aji peppers, rice, tropical fruit, over an imported menu.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Long distance buses (Cruz del Sur and others), domestic flights, colectivos, trains to Machu Picchu and boats on Lake Titicaca
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
Peru runs from Pacific desert over the high Andes into the Amazon, a megadiverse country and crop origin heartland with strong protected areas and living Quechua and Amazonian cultures.
Best time: Andean and Amazon dry season for trekking and clear views
Getting around
Long distance buses (Cruz del Sur and others), domestic flights, colectivos, trains to Machu Picchu and boats on Lake Titicaca
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is native potatoes, maize varieties, quinoa, beans, aji peppers, rice, tropical fruit. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cards in cities, cash in the highlands and Amazon; soles.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the big hotels
Inkaterra Reserva AmazonicaIndependent · 35 rooms
Las QolqasIndependent · 16 rooms
Refugio AmazonasIndependent · 32 rooms
None of the 3 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Peru.
How well is Peru actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Peru scores 46 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
What is daily life in Peru really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Long distance buses (Cruz del Sur and others), domestic flights, colectivos, trains to Machu Picchu and boats on Lake Titicaca
93.7%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 4.4% of GDP and 19.2% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 108.3% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2024).
Made in Peru.
Peru sustains a world renowned natural fibre tradition: alpaca and the ultra fine vicuna, the finest animal fibre in the world, plus pima and native coloured cotton, all woven on backstrap looms in communities such as Chinchero and on Taquile island, whose textile art is UNESCO listed. These are living, daily crafts and a serious export. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Peru actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Peru sells the world is ores, slag and ash, 41.9% of all exports in 2023 (about US$26.95 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are pearls, gemstones and precious metals at 13.5%, fruit and nuts at 8.5%, mineral fuels and oils at 6.8%, copper at 5.6%.
Made now · natural materials
Chinchero
Worked in Peru from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
On Taquile island
Worked in Peru from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Daily crafts
Worked in Peru from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Serious export
Worked in Peru from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 12.9% of imports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Peru imported US$6.73 billion of machinery and mechanical appliances in 2023, 12.9% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 9.3% of imports
Vehicles
Peru imported US$4.85 billion of vehicles in 2023, 9.3% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 8.0% of imports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Peru imported US$4.19 billion of electrical machinery and electronics in 2023, 8.0% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.2% of imports
Plastics
Peru imported US$2.20 billion of plastics in 2023, 4.2% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Peru produces about US$335 billion a year, which is roughly US$9,684 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 7.5% of that, while food is 11.9% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in.
See the verified makersCulture in Peru.
Named in 1879National Marinera Day, 7 October
Marinera national dance
The first Peruvian tradition declared national cultural heritage, in 1986, in all its regional forms of dance, music and song. Peru has put it forward for UNESCO's list, with a decision due in December 2027.
Dry months, at key points in the farming calendar
Danza de las tijeras (scissors dance)
Quechua dancers from the south-central Andes compete in teams with a violinist and a harpist, each dancer clicking a pair of polished iron rods like scissors blades.
24 June every yearInti RaymiCusco's festival of the Sun honours the sun god with dance and music, moving from the Qorikancha temple to the main square and Saqsaywaman.
Starts 58 days after Easter SundayQoyllur Riti pilgrimageAround 90,000 people from around Cusco travel to the sanctuary in the Sinakara hollow, in a pilgrimage that blends Catholic faith with worship of pre-Hispanic nature deities.
Does Peru protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Peru sustains one of the richest living heritages in the Americas, rooted in Quechua and Aymara Andean culture alongside Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian traditions. Music and dance such as the huayno, the national marinera and the Afro-Peruvian festejo are widely performed, and the danza de las tijeras, the scissors dance, is inscribed by UNESCO. Andean spirituality endures through reverence for Pachamama and the mountain apus, expressed in pilgrimages such as Qoyllur Riti and the Inti Raymi sun festival.
Who it belongs to. Peru has deep living indigenous cultures: Quechua and Aymara communities across the Andes and numerous Amazonian peoples such as the Shipibo and Ashaninka, with everyday language, dress, farming and weaving traditions intact. Community based tourism thrives on Lake Titicaca's Taquile and Amantani islands and in Sacred Valley weaving villages, keeping income local, even as Machu Picchu draws mass, more extractive tourism.
Only here. The Potato Park (Parque de la Papa) near Cusco, where Quechua communities safeguard over 1,300 native potato varieties.
UNESCO · UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Scissors dance · UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Lord of Qoyllurit'i · PromPerú, Inti Raymi, 15 interesting facts about the great Sun Festival · Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, La Marinera, expresión viva del patrimonio cultural · Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, candidatura de la marinera ante la UNESCO
The Future of Peru.
Three futures for Peru, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Larco Herrera Museum (Pueblo Libre), National Museum of Archaeology (Pueblo Libre), Museum of the Nation (San Borja), Italian Art Museum (Lima), Gold Museum of Peru (Santiago de Surco). OpenStreetMap. Named craft workshops on the open map: Ardilla Art, Artesanía Awaq Awaqki Ohuay, Atenea, Charicrafts, Compra de conchilla, El Arte Peruano.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 59% to 52.7% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 80.3% to 61.8% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 1.06 t to 2.02 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 1,650k to 1,119k across 16 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 31.3% to 22.1% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 31.4% to 23.1% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 0.6% to 7.9% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 17.5% to 19% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 70.9% to 85.6% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 65.9 µg/m³ to 31.1 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 67,395 m³ to 49,021 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 41.4% to 68.1% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 67.4% to 96.5% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 2,190 to 9,684 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 24,349k to 34,577k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 33.3% to 30.6% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 451 kg to 840 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 19.2% to 16.5% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 67.2 yrs to 77.9 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 2,641 kg/ha to 4,851 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 35.7 kg/ha to 93.5 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 29.1% to 14.4% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 10.1 $/m3 to 8.62 $/m3 across 14 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 4.41% to 5.64% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 755,412 km2 to 671,598 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 539 kWh to 1,637 kWh across 29 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 18.73 to 27.54 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 5.88 to 7.17 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 3.99 to 16.4 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 24.55 to 65.06 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 1.23 to 7.98 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 4.1 to 9.83 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, recycling at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift recycling
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Peru's record. Formal municipal recycling rates are low, in the order of a few percent, though Peru legally recognises informal recicladores who recover a meaningful share of materials. Segregation and collection remain limited outside pilot districts.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift organic farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Peru's record. FiBL records about 1.5 percent of agricultural land as certified organic in 2020, roughly 343,000 hectares, and Peru is a top global exporter of organic coffee, cacao and banana grown by smallholder cooperatives.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift pollution
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Peru's record. Peru's Law 30884 of 2018 progressively bans single use plastics and prohibited plastic bags and straws immediately in natural and cultural protected areas, a genuine national policy.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Peru.
Who is in charge of Peru now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Keiko Fujimori
President
Keiko Fujimori is the head of government of Peru, in office since 28 July 2026. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 56.7 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 58.0 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 32.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 33.7 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 56.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 56.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 47.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 50.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 57.5 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 58.2 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Keiko FujimoriPresident
Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la República)Legislature, bicameral
Last election12 April 2026
Constitution1993, as revised to 2023
Government typepresidential republic
Peru national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
Plain Answers About Peru.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Peru sustainable?
Peru scores 72 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Peru runs from Pacific desert over the high Andes into the Amazon, a megadiverse country and crop origin heartland with strong protected areas and living Quechua and Amazonian cultures.
Is the water in Peru safe and plentiful?
Nationally Peru is water rich through the Amazon basin, Andean glaciers and Lake Titicaca, but the resource is badly matched to the people: most Peruvians live on the arid Pacific coast, and Lima is one of the world's largest desert cities, dependent on rivers fed by shrinking glaciers. WHO/UNICEF JMP and World Bank data put safely managed drinking water at about 51.3 percent of the population in 2020. Coastal water stress and glacial retreat are real pressures, and tap water is not reliably safe for visitors.
Can Peru feed itself?
Peru is a centre of crop origin and an agricultural powerhouse, home to thousands of native potato varieties plus maize, quinoa, beans and aji, and a leading exporter of avocado, blueberry, asparagus and grape. Staple self sufficiency in native crops is high and markets brim with domestic produce, though wheat and feed grains are imported.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Peru?
Few countries make unprocessed plant eating easier: markets overflow with native potatoes, maize varieties, quinoa, beans, squash, aji and tropical fruit, and Andean cuisine is built on them. Meat, fish and cuy feature, but the plant base is exceptional and cheap. Peru's biodiversity of edible plants is world leading.
How much of Peru is actually protected?
Terrestrial protected areas cover about 22.3 percent of the land (World Bank, 2021), managed by SERNANP and including Manu, Tambopata, Huascaran and Paracas, and Peru created the vast Nazca Ridge (Dorsal de Nasca) marine reserve in 2021. The system is strong on paper, but illegal gold mining, logging and coca cultivation erode parts of the Amazon. Marine protection registered a low 0.5 percent in the 2021 dataset, before the new reserve is fully reflected.
What wildlife is left in Peru?
Peru is one of the planet's most biodiverse countries, ranking near the top for bird and butterfly species, with Manu among the richest protected areas on Earth. Iconic and often endemic species include the vicuna, Andean condor, spectacled bear, giant otter, pink river dolphin and many range restricted Andean birds. The World Bank and IUCN list about 51 threatened mammal and 93 threatened bird species (2022).
Is Peru on clean energy?
Roughly 60% of Peru's electricity comes from renewables, overwhelmingly hydropower which supplies close to half of generation, with natural gas making up most of the rest. Fossil carbon dioxide emissions are low at about 2.05 tonnes per person in 2024. Peru has committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and released an updated National Climate Change Strategy to 2050 in late 2024, although the Climate Action Tracker notes that political instability has slowed delivery.
How polluted is Peru?
Peru's Law 30884 of 2018 progressively bans single use plastics and prohibited plastic bags and straws immediately in natural and cultural protected areas, a genuine national policy. Against that, ambient PM2.5 averaged about 24.8 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2017), high and driven by Lima traffic, and illegal Amazon gold mining releases mercury. Policy is real but air and mining pollution weigh it down.
Does recycling work in Peru?
Formal municipal recycling rates are low, in the order of a few percent, though Peru legally recognises informal recicladores who recover a meaningful share of materials. Segregation and collection remain limited outside pilot districts.
Is the farming in Peru organic?
FiBL records about 1.5 percent of agricultural land as certified organic in 2020, roughly 343,000 hectares, and Peru is a top global exporter of organic coffee, cacao and banana grown by smallholder cooperatives.
Are there natural materials and craft in Peru?
Peru sustains a world renowned natural fibre tradition: alpaca and the ultra fine vicuna, the finest animal fibre in the world, plus pima and native coloured cotton, all woven on backstrap looms in communities such as Chinchero and on Taquile island, whose textile art is UNESCO listed. These are living, daily crafts and a serious export.
Is there living culture in Peru?
Peru has deep living indigenous cultures: Quechua and Aymara communities across the Andes and numerous Amazonian peoples such as the Shipibo and Ashaninka, with everyday language, dress, farming and weaving traditions intact. Community based tourism thrives on Lake Titicaca's Taquile and Amantani islands and in Sacred Valley weaving villages, keeping income local, even as Machu Picchu draws mass, more extractive tourism.
What heritage does Peru keep alive?
Peru sustains one of the richest living heritages in the Americas, rooted in Quechua and Aymara Andean culture alongside Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian traditions. Music and dance such as the huayno, the national marinera and the Afro-Peruvian festejo are widely performed, and the danza de las tijeras, the scissors dance, is inscribed by UNESCO. Andean spirituality endures through reverence for Pachamama and the mountain apus, expressed in pilgrimages such as Qoyllur Riti and the Inti Raymi sun festival.
So is Peru actually green? The measured answer
What is working: renewable electricity at 61.8%.
What is not: sea protected at 7.9% against a 30% mark.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · World Bank, Population total, Peru · CIA World Factbook, Peru (archived December 2025) · World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area), Peru · World Bank, Renewable electricity output, Peru · World Bank, CO2 emissions per capita excluding LULUCF, Peru · World Bank, Cause of death by non-communicable diseases, Peru · UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Peru · Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, candidatura de la marinera ante la UNESCO
How Peru Ranks, region and world.
Where Peru sits on the Eco Index, against its South America neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Peru compare in South America?
1Brazil73
3Colombia70
4Ecuador70
5Chile67
Scored South America destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
13Peru · this page72
Peru sits 13 of 77 at 72/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Peru particularly good at?
✓ Plant-based eating, scored 5/5. Few countries make unprocessed plant eating easier: markets overflow with native potatoes, maize varieties, quinoa, beans, squash, aji and tropical fruit, and Andean cuisine is built on them. Meat, fish and cuy feature, but the plant base is exceptional and cheap. Peru's biodiversity of edible plants is world leading.
✓ Wildlife, scored 5/5. Peru is one of the planet's most biodiverse countries, ranking near the top for bird and butterfly species, with Manu among the richest protected areas on Earth. Iconic and often endemic species include the vicuna, Andean condor, spectacled bear, giant otter, pink river dolphin and many range restricted Andean birds. The World Bank and IUCN list about 51 threatened mammal and 93 threatened bird species (2022).
✓ Natural fibres, scored 5/5. Peru sustains a world renowned natural fibre tradition: alpaca and the ultra fine vicuna, the finest animal fibre in the world, plus pima and native coloured cotton, all woven on backstrap looms in communities such as Chinchero and on Taquile island, whose textile art is UNESCO listed. These are living, daily crafts and a serious export.
Where does Peru score worst?
✕ Recycling, scored 1/5. Formal municipal recycling rates are low, in the order of a few percent, though Peru legally recognises informal recicladores who recover a meaningful share of materials. Segregation and collection remain limited outside pilot districts.
✕ Organic farming, scored 2/5. FiBL records about 1.5 percent of agricultural land as certified organic in 2020, roughly 343,000 hectares, and Peru is a top global exporter of organic coffee, cacao and banana grown by smallholder cooperatives.
✕ Pollution, scored 2/5. Peru's Law 30884 of 2018 progressively bans single use plastics and prohibited plastic bags and straws immediately in natural and cultural protected areas, a genuine national policy. Against that, ambient PM2.5 averaged about 24.8 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2017), high and driven by Lima traffic, and illegal Amazon gold mining releases mercury. Policy is real but air and mining pollution weigh it down.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Recycling, 1/5
Formal municipal recycling rates are low, in the order of a few percent, though Peru legally recognises informal recicladores who recover a meaningful share of materials. Segregation and collection remain limited outside pilot districts.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Peru's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Organic farming, 2/5
FiBL records about 1.5 percent of agricultural land as certified organic in 2020, roughly 343,000 hectares, and Peru is a top global exporter of organic coffee, cacao and banana grown by smallholder cooperatives.
Pollution, 2/5
Peru's Law 30884 of 2018 progressively bans single use plastics and prohibited plastic bags and straws immediately in natural and cultural protected areas, a genuine national policy.
The Peru Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Peru, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Peru
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
52.7
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
22.1
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
7.9
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
61.8
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
2.0 tonnes (2024)
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
802 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
32.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
49.4 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
47.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
56.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
56.7 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
41.0 / 100 · 87 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 87 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
45.9 / 100 · 73 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 73 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
44.1 / 100 · 87 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 87 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
37.3 / 100 · 89 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 89 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
71.2 / 100 · 62 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 62 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
32.1 / 100 · 40 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 40 of 111 countries assessed.
How Peru Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 71 sources across 29 institutions
World Bank18 FIGURES
- Terrestrial protected areas (percent of total land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2021. check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic metre) EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, 2017. check
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2024 check
- Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, 2024 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Safely managed sanitation (% of population) SH.STA.SMSS.ZS, 2024 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 2021 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
GBIF occurrence search9 FIGURES
- Peru, IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (mammal). check
- Peru, IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Peru, IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Peru, IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, class Aves, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- Peru, IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, class Aves corroboration check
- Peru, IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, classes Squamata and Testudines, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (reptile). check
- Peru, IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, classes Squamata and Testudines corroboration check
- Peru, IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, class Insecta, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Peru in GBIF occurrence data (insect). check
- Peru, IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered, class Insecta corroboration check
Other published sources7 FIGURES
- The Zona Arqueologica Caral (Ministerio de Cultura) states the finds show a peaceful society, because no walls or weapons were found, and that it interrelated with other cultures of the coast, highlands and jungle; its own research presents Spondylus shell from the Ecuadorian coast at Caral, so "no outside contact" is wrong while "no sign of warfare" is sourced check
- Carrying passengers again: the MTC restarted it on 17 March 2023 and again from 20 December 2024, free, Mondays and Fridays over the 57 km Chilca to Cuenca section, and Ositran reports the modernisation concession contract signed 28 May 2025, running to 2055 check
- UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 'Taquile and its textile art' (Peru, inscribed 2008), Peru sustains a world renowned natural fibre tradition: alpaca and the ultra fine vicuna, the finest animal fi check
- UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 'Taquile and its textile art' (Peru, inscribed 2008) corroboration check
- UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 'Taquile and its textile art' (Peru, inscribed 2008) corroboration check
- UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 'Taquile and its textile art' (Peru, inscribed 2008) corroboration check
- UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 'Scissors dance' (Peru, inscribed 2010), Music and dance such as the huayno, the national marinera and the Afro-Peruvian festejo are widely performed check
Autoridad Nacional del Agua (ANA)4 FIGURES
- Peru, Politica y Estrategia Nacional de los Recursos Hidricos al 2050, segundo entregable (2026), Nationally Peru is water rich through the Amazon basin, Andean glaciers and Lake Titicaca, but the resource is check
- Peru, Politica y Estrategia Nacional de los Recursos Hidricos al 2050, segundo entregable (2026) corroboration check
- Peru, Politica y Estrategia Nacional de los Recursos Hidricos al 2050, segundo entregable (2026) corroboration check
- Peru, Politica y Estrategia Nacional de los Recursos Hidricos al 2050, segundo entregable (2026) corroboration check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Peru, 2025 (22.6%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Peru, 2025 (51.2%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Peru, 2025 (24.7%), country-reported check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics3 FIGURES
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment2 FIGURES
UNESCO2 FIGURES
UNESCO World Heritage Centre2 FIGURES
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme2 FIGURES
Climate Action Tracker1 FIGURE
- Peru, 2024 check
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Congress of Peru1 FIGURE
- Law No. 30884 regulating single use plastics, 2018.
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Peru 1993 (rev. 2023) check
FAO and World Bank1 FIGURE
- Forest area (percent of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2022. check
FAOSTAT 2024 for Peru: sugar cane 121 FIGURE
- 038,562 t, potatoes 6,579,754 t, rice 3,640,432 t, bananas 2,343,311 t, maize 1,686,077 t; the item "Plantains and cooking bananas" is blank for Peru in 2022, 2023 and 2024, so it cannot be one of the largest crops check
FiBL1 FIGURE
- The World of Organic Agriculture 2022 (2020 data), organic farmland share. check
Haageocereus tenuis is Critically Endangered1 FIGURE
- but Carex acutata Boott is Not Evaluated and has no Red List assessment at all (checked against the IUCN Red List checklist published 28 July 2026) check
IEA1 FIGURE
- Peru electricity check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Peru, 2023 (25.8%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Peru elections and chambers check
INEI1 FIGURE
- Peru, national statistical authority check
IUCN1 FIGURE
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, second edition corroboration check
IUCN Red List1 FIGURE
- threatened species by country (Summary Statistics, Table 5) check
Low Carbon Power (data from Ember1 FIGURE
- IEA and World Bank), Peru electricity mix, 2025. check
Ministerio del Ambiente1 FIGURE
- Peru, national environmental authority check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 emissions per capita, 2024 check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
WHO/UNICEF JMP and World Bank1 FIGURE
- Safely managed drinking water (percent of population) SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2020. check