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.
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
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.9% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 23.6% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 112.8% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 199,824 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.97 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 113.2% (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.