Peru: Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Peru's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) fell 1.9 percentage points on 2024 (from 27.6% to 25.7%).

Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2024), the average change was −0.56 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.89 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.9 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.8 percentage points in 2007. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.89 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 50% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Peru in the 2025 ranking

• Bolivia — 1st of 8: 44.7%
• Argentina — 2nd of 8: 28.2%
• Ecuador — 4th of 8: 21.4%
• Dominican Republic — 5th of 8: 17.3%
• Costa Rica — 6th of 8: 17.1%

What this measures

National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a population-weighted average.

All 29 values

Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 28.2% (2025)
• Bolivia — 44.7% (2025)
• Chile — 6.5% (2022)
• Colombia — 31.8% (2024)
• Costa Rica — 17.1% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 17.3% (2025)
• Ecuador — 21.4% (2025)
• Jamaica — 7.8% (2024)
• Panama

More poverty data for Peru

• Income share held by second 20% — 10.6% (2024)
• Income share held by third 20% — 15.4% (2024)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.1% (2024)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 46.2% (2024)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 30.3% (2024)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 17% (2024)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 2% (2024)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 5.6% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 5.1% (2024)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%)

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Questions people ask

What is Peru's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population)?

25.7% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is down 17 percentage points from 42.7% in 1997. The highest value was 58.7% in 2004 and the lowest 20.2% in 2019.

Is the latest change in poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) unusual for Peru?

In 2025, Peru's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) fell 1.9 percentage points on 2024 (from 27.6% to 25.7%). Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2024), the average change was −0.56 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.89 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.POV.NAHC, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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