Country Comments

With an extensive coastline along the Pacific Ocean and the massive eastern part of the country home to a large swath of the Amazon rainforest, Peru has abundant natural resources enough to sustain 40% more citizens.

However sustainability is being eroded by population growth from above replacement fertility, massive immigration of Venezuelans the past five years from the disastrous economic conditions in its country, and from globalization and the demand for resources from the growing world population.

It doesn’t appear the new President (August 2021), Pedro Castillo is prioritizing the worsening environmental problems of air pollution, water pollution, soil erosion and pollution, and deforestation.

In 2018, Peru ranked 87th on the gender inequality index. Women have a labor force participation rate of almost 15% lower than men. Around 57% of women have a postsecondary education, compared to 69% of men. Additionally, women in Peru hold only 28% of all parliament seats. Peru has high rates of sexual, physical and domestic violence against women. However, Indigenous women face additional struggles in Peru. (1)

(1) https://borgenproject.org/womens-rights-in-peru/