Demographics of Peru

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Almost half of all Peruvians are Amerindian, or 45 percent of the total population. 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 37% of the people. 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 15% of the population. The remaining 3% is constituted by Afro-Peruvians, Chinese Peruvians and persons of Japanese descent. 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, 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 and only 12% in the Amazon rainforest. Almost one third of the nation's population lives in the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area. 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 1960's.

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.

Contents 1 Language 2 Education 3 Current (2006) Demographic data from CIA World Factbook 4 References

[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.

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.

[edit] Current (2006) Demographic data from CIA World Factbook

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) 37%, white/Caucasian 15% (if they have mostly European ancestry), black/Afro-Peruvian, Japanese, Chinese, and Arab/Middle-Eastern (although are white) 3%.

Religions: Roman Catholic 96.8%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 2.3% (2003 est.)

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.)

[edit] References

Roman Catholicism by country