Demographic history of Peru

The census takes the quantitative data of the population. The census in Peru takes place every ten years. The census of 1791 was a religious survey that was modified and published in consecutive official gazettes of the 1790s under Viceroy Gil de Taboada; in addition, the initial approximated count shows the total of 1,076,997 Peruvians, inclusive of whites, enslaved Black people, Pardo's, Mestizo's and with 609,000 Indigenous people.[6] The lack of technological advancement in the late 18th and early 19th century resulted in an approximation of results. Furthermore, between 1825 and 1885, there was a transitional period in statistical history.[11] Also, in 1797, the population census count shows 1,239,197 people with the addition of the southern Indian area of Puno and inhabitants from Northern Jaen; moreover, the next census of 1836 was occurred amid when the economy was in depression and combat of Peru’s Caudillo era, concluded the total republican population of 1,373,736.[6] Mostly, the people of Peru lived in rural areas in the 18th century. At the end of the 19th century, people started migrating to urban areas for a better lifestyle.The cities become extensive and populous because of poverty and prosperity issues in rural areas, and underdeveloped countries face mass urbanisation due to socioeconomic change.[12] Also, big cities have relatively higher ratio of increasing population and the economic activities. Industrialisation and shortage of labor in the rapid expansion of industries in urban areas have also caused migration from rural to towns and cities. It was happening in Peru and globally; urbanisation became a trend. Since the population is rising rapidly, Peru’s population reached 2,001,123 in 1850, with around 46% change from 1836; this would be the most significant drastic change since 1836. The population in 1876 was 2,699,106,[6] when Peru had the modern census and had a war with Chile. The population of Peru fell from an estimated 4,000,000 in the 1500s to roughly 1,300,000 in the 1600s as a result of European contact and conquest.[13] Smallpox had already severely devastated the Inca empire before the arrival of the Spanish. This was primarily due to the unintentional spread of bacteria and infectious illnesses. Smallpox was vastly spread throughout the Inca Empire and affected millions of people due to its 30% mortality rate.[14] The viral cause massive deaths in the surrounding regions, including Peru, which significantly declines the overall population numbers.

Peru population pyramid - 2022

Geographic view of Peru

Peru - Population density by region or department (2007)

Indigenous people of Peru

People spoke different languages in South America. Inhabitants were facing an issue in socioeconomic relationships with fellow Peruvians. There was no writing communication in old Europe, making it more difficult for native speakers as the only way was linguistic communication.[23] Until around the 1860s, indigenous languages were more commonly spoken languages, and the most popular were Aymara and Quechua which has a significant number of speakers.[23] Spanish had spoken among largest group of people in Peru of almost 28.71 million and become the 7th most native Spanish speakers country of the world.[24] The language split between the coastal areas, where Spanish predominates over Amerindian languages, because the diverse traditional Andean cultures of the mountains and highlands reflects Peru's distinct geographical areas. The central Andes and the Amazon rain forest are home to Peru's indigenous languages.[25] The presence of Quechua and Aymara languages dominated in the Andean highlands.[26] The area which connects the southern to northern American continents.

Convent of Santo Domingo, Lima

Peru is the multilingual landscape of South America with rich diversification of languages spoken. Yet Quechua was a widely spoken language in Peru. And had biggest indigenous language family in Americas.[27] Quechua has mainly used in different countries of South America, including Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil.[28] It is probably most recognized for being the Inca Empire's primary family language. Domingo de Santo Tomás, a Dominican and advocate of the Indian cause, wrote the first published description of a Quechuan language, including grammar and a dictionary.[23] The Quechua language survived the Spanish invasion of the Inca in the sixteenth century. Younger generation of Quechua families adapting Spanish and their elders fear that their descendants are losing touch with their culture's values and ancestral understanding.[29] Despite a brief comeback in the 19th century shortly after Latin American nations declared independence, Quechua's status had declined. The Quechua language continues to lose popularity and relevance in Peru, putting Quechua cultural and ancestral values in danger, this is due to the perceived economic and social benefits of speaking Spanish.[29] Despite the fact that Quechua was the official language of the whole Inca Empire,[29] but rapidly devalued in current Peruvian society. However, the Inca were one of many peoples in modern-day Peru that spoke a Quechua dialect.

Aymara is the third most spoken language, integrated from Inca culture, and its speakers mainly live in rural areas, especially farmers.[30] Aymara used to be very dominant in the Inca Culture era after Quechua. Aymara is a member of the Jaqi family of languages, which also includes Jaqaru and Kawki, which are mainly spoken in Lima, the capital city of Peru.[31] Furthermore, Quechua and Aymara have some similarities in vocabulary.[32]

However, various languages become dominant over time or decline as the people spread through different areas. The linguistic difference between Peru's distinct physical areas is represented in a language separation between the coast and the interior, where Spanish takes precedence over Amerindian languages. Furthermore, due to urbanization, people from rural areas migrate to urban areas and adopt Spanish, becoming Peru’s official language.

The most common language in Peru is Spanish, but is also home to dozens of indigenous languages, of which Quechua and Aymara are most well-known. There are so many languages and people from different cultures lived in Peru. In the country, around 72 different indigenous languages are spoken.[33] Despite this, nearly 26% of the population speaks a language other than Spanish as their first language.[33] In rural locations, indigenous languages are spoken at a higher rate. The majority of inhabitants in the country's metropolitan areas, particularly around the coast, are monolingual and solely speak Spanish.[33]

Peru is one of the most populous multiethnic countries in South America, built through a combination of different civilizations and origins over a millennium. Ethnicity plays a vital role in building a society and culture of a country. People may have multi-dimensional identities or ethnicities. The primary races were Spaniards and Amerindians, who came in large numbers. Peru was completely under the rule of the Spanish colonialists from 1538 onwards, and it remained so amid protests and opposition throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.[26] Spanish colonisation resulted in a different ethnicity in which Peru's indigenous people is by far the majority. The rich and powerful classes act themselves as radically different from other lower class indigenous people.[36] In the 20th century, the mass migration happened of indigenous people towards rural-urban areas created an urban centre heavily diversified in ethnic, racial, and social class.[37] European countries, including Germany, Austria, Italy, and Argentina etc., were also major migration stakeholders. More than a hundred thousand Chinese migrated as labor or enslaved people in Peru from 1840 to 1874.[38] They were still in larger quantity in Peru, especially in urban centres including Lima where the majority lives. The downside of native population started in Peru right after the independence of South American nations.[26] Most of the population from different parts of the world who came to Peru live in Urban areas, especially in Lima, their capital city.

Geographic ancestry distribution of Peru

Cathedral, Lima (1870)

There are multiple religions in Peru, but Roman Catholicism is the largest, although some other faiths of Christianity are also present. The Catholic Church has much influenced on Government of Peru, and also constitution accepted the supremacy of the Church. Alberto Fujimori was elected president of Peru in 1990 after a movement against the country's corrupt and powerful political structure.[36] His parents were Buddhists, but he was raised as Roman Catholic. The Catholic Church in Peru has unique status because of an agreement signed with the Vatican in 1980.[36] Peru is an independent, social republic, democratic and sovereign, under the constitution of 1993.[36] The Catholic Church's role in the nation's historical, cultural, and moral development is recognised in Article 50 of the Constitution.[39] Because of the strong commitment of the people and state toward the Church, therefore Church influenced and penetrated the administration, culture, and social issues of Peru.[40] Furthermore, the expansion of Spaniards in Peru led Catholicism to spread everywhere and became the largest followed religion. Peruvians' beliefs are still heavily influenced by indigenous religious traditions. Moreover, the religion had absorbed Inca cultural traditions, indigenous people's beliefs, and practices. However, there are other religious groups in the minority. Catholics are 76% of the total population, while 14% are Protestant, 5.1% irreligious, and 4.9% others, including Muslims, Jews, Orthodox, Buddhists, and other small religious groups.[41] The more significant part of small religious groups resides in Lima.

The predominant religion of Peru is Roman Catholic. Indigenous Peruvians, however, have blended Catholicism and their traditional beliefs.