Literacy rate in Peru
Peru: Literacy rate was 93.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Peru, 1950–2024
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate in Peru stood at 93.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Peru peaked at 94.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 47.5%, in 1950.
Peru ranks 63rd of 128 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.
Literacy rate in Peru, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 47.5% | — |
| 1981 | 81.9% | +72.5% |
| 1993 | 87.2% | +6.4% |
| 2004 | 87.7% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 87.9% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 88.7% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 89.6% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 93.8% | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 93.7% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 94.2% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 94.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 94.2% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 94.4% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 94.5% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 93.7% | -0.9% |
Peru compared with similar countries
- Peru's 93.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.4%, 98% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Peru's 93.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 94.4%, 99% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate in Peru changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +72.5% | 47.5% | 81.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.5% | 47.5% | 47.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 81.9% | 81.9% | 81.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 87.2% | 87.2% | 87.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 88.5% | 87.7% | 89.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 94.1% | 93.7% | 94.4% | 6 |
| 2020s | 94.1% | 93.7% | 94.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Peru
More education data for Peru
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 224,754 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 84,765 (2019)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 770,032 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 745,341 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.11 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.71 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1083 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Peru?
- Literacy rate in Peru was 93.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Peru?
- The highest recorded value was 94.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Peru?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.5% in 1950.
- How does Peru rank for literacy rate?
- Peru ranks 63rd out of 128 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Peru?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Peru data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. 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
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.