Country page · Latin America & Caribbean
If you were born in Peru
1 in 246 babies · 0.41% of births · about 544,617 a year
Right now, about 0.41% of the world's babies are born in Peru — 1 in 246, or roughly 544,617 a year and 1,492 a day. Life expectancy there is 77.9 years.
How the 1 in 246 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Peru has about 544,617 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.41% — 1 in 246. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Peru, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 80.3 · men 75.6 | 77.9 years | 53rd highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 12.9 / 1,000 | 1.3% | 76th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 11.0 / 1,000 | 1.1% | 76th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 51 | 88th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 1.97 | 83rd lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 15.0 years | 51st highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 71.2% | 43rd highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $18,816 | 86th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 40.10 | 42nd highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 85.6% | 28th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 23.1% | 98th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 82.0% | 82nd highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 8.6 | 125th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 27.0% | 74th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.40% | 65th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 12.4% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Peru compared with Latin America & Caribbean
Life expectancy in Peru is 77.9 years, against a Latin America & Caribbean average of 75.1. The under-5 death rate is 1.3%, versus 1.6% across the region. Income per person is $18,816, against $26,587 regionally; expected schooling is 15.0 years against 13.2. 85.6% of people live in cities, against 71.1% in the region.
| Indicator | Peru | Latin America & Caribbean | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 77.9 years old | 75.1 years old | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 1.3% | 1.6% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $18,816 | $26,587 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 15.0 years | 13.2 years | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 85.6% | 71.1% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 77.9 years on average, with roughly 12.9 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 15.0 years of school, and income per person is around $18,816. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Peru
The game draws Peru in about 1 of every 246 births. From there the life runs year by year: 77.9 years of life expectancy on average, a 1.3% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $18,816 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Argentina — 1 in 264
- Chance of being born in Venezuela — 1 in 309
- Chance of being born in Guatemala — 1 in 348
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Peru?
What is life expectancy in Peru?
How many babies are born in Peru each year?
Is Peru a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.