Peru: cities by population
Peru has a population of 34,922,148 (UN estimate, 2026), with Lima as its capital. The 50 largest of its 1,626 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+31%
since 2000 (26,598,331)
+16%
projected by 2050 (40,583,876)
27
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Peru
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lima | Lima Province | 7,737,002 |
| 2 | Callao | Callao | 1,226,200 |
| 3 | Arequipa | Arequipa | 1,195,700 |
| 4 | Trujillo | La Libertad | 1,067,700 |
| 5 | Piura | Piura | 630,000 |
| 6 | Chiclayo | Lambayeque | 609,400 |
| 7 | Huancayo | Junin | 456,250 |
| 8 | Cusco | Cuzco Department | 428,450 |
| 9 | Iquitos | Loreto | 377,609 |
| 10 | Pucallpa | Ucayali | 326,040 |
| 11 | Chimbote | Ancash | 316,966 |
| 12 | Tacna | Tacna | 286,240 |
| 13 | Ica | Ica | 282,407 |
| 14 | Juliaca | Puno | 245,675 |
| 15 | Cajamarca | Cajamarca Department | 201,329 |
| 16 | Huánuco | Huánuco Department | 196,627 |
| 17 | Sullana | Piura | 160,789 |
| 18 | Chincha Alta | Ica | 153,076 |
| 19 | Ayacucho | Ayacucho | 140,033 |
| 20 | San Martin | Piura | 130,000 |
| 21 | Puno | Puno | 128,637 |
| 22 | Huaraz | Ancash | 118,836 |
| 23 | Talara | Piura | 99,074 |
| 24 | Tumbes | Tumbes | 96,946 |
| 25 | Chosica | Lima region | 88,606 |
| 26 | Puerto Maldonado | Madre de Dios | 85,024 |
| 27 | San Juan | Loreto | 78,153 |
| 28 | Ciudad Satelite | Arequipa | 76,410 |
| 29 | Chilca | Junin | 73,371 |
| 30 | Selva Alegre | Arequipa | 72,696 |
| 31 | Abancay | Apurímac Department | 72,277 |
| 32 | Moquegua | Moquegua Department | 69,882 |
| 33 | Chulucanas | Piura | 68,835 |
| 34 | San Fernando | Ucayali | 67,844 |
| 35 | Santiago | Cuzco Department | 64,075 |
| 36 | Huaral | Lima region | 62,174 |
| 37 | Pisco | Ica | 61,869 |
| 38 | Villa Poeta José Gálvez Barrenechea | Lima region | 61,000 |
| 39 | San Miguel | Puno | 60,850 |
| 40 | Wanchaq | Cuzco Department | 59,134 |
| 41 | Cerro de Pasco | Pasco | 58,899 |
| 42 | Catacaos | Piura | 57,304 |
| 43 | Paita | Piura | 56,151 |
| 44 | Huacho | Lima region | 54,545 |
| 45 | Ilo | Moquegua Department | 53,476 |
Twenty years earlier: Peru in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 28,032,047.
Common questions
What is the population of Peru?
Peru has a population of 34,922,148, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 40,583,876 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Peru?
Lima.