Share of population living in urban areas in Peru

Peru: Share of population living in urban areas was 73.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
73.0%
World rank
125th
of 236 countries
All-time high
73.0%
in 2020
All-time low
40.7%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Peru, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 40.7 %1955: 44.1 %1960: 47.6 %1965: 51.3 %1970: 54.8 %1975: 58 %1980: 59.8 %1985: 61 %1990: 62.5 %1995: 64.8 %2000: 66.5 %2005: 68.6 %2010: 70.6 %2015: 72.3 %2020: 73 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Peru recorded 73.0% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Peru peaked at 73.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 40.7%, in 1950.

Peru ranks 125th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 42.4% 40.7% 44.1% 2
1960s 49.4% 47.6% 51.3% 2
1970s 56.4% 54.8% 58.0% 2
1980s 60.4% 59.8% 61.0% 2
1990s 63.7% 62.5% 64.8% 2
2000s 67.6% 66.5% 68.6% 2
2010s 71.5% 70.6% 72.3% 2
2020s 73.0% 73.0% 73.0% 1

Countries ranked near Peru

  1. 122 United States Virgin Islands 73.6% compare
  2. 123 Andorra 73.4% compare
  3. 124 Germany 73.0% compare
  4. 126 Guatemala 72.9% compare
  5. 127 Democratic Republic of Congo 72.9% compare
  6. 128 Saint Lucia 72.7% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Peru

All data for Peru →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Peru?
Share of population living in urban areas in Peru was 73.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Peru?
The highest recorded value was 73.0% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Peru?
The lowest recorded value was 40.7% in 1950.
How does Peru rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Peru ranks 125th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Peru?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Peru data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.