Peru's 2025 Census Reveals Large Indigenous and Afro-Peruvian Populations

Peru’s Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (INEI) released preliminary results from the 2025 census revealing 8,760,093 people identify as part of an Indigenous or Afro-Peruvian population, representing 26.8% of the country’s total population of 32,706,028. The data shows 6,783,697 identify with an Indigenous group while 1,976,396 identify as Afro-Peruvian.

The majority of the Indigenous population, 92.5%, identifies with Andean peoples, specifically Quechua and Aymara groups. A significant portion, 58.4%, resides in urban areas.

The census also indicates that over 5.1 million Peruvians speak at least one Indigenous language. The Ministry of Culture plans to use this data to refine public policies and ensure services are linguistically appropriate, preserving native languages. Officials emphasize the importance of recognizing and guaranteeing the collective rights of these communities, and will continue to promote related initiatives.