Peru has an approximate population of 24 million. About 12 million are women (50.4%). Out of the total population, 8.9 million are economically active (mostly unemployed and underemployed people older than 15 years old). From this number, women represent 2,670,000 (30%). The chronic poverty of the country caused by the super exploitation and ruthless economic policies imposed by imperialism (IMF, World Bank), has thrown millions of women and children into the streets to work as peddlers and vendors, servants and other degrading domestic occupations in order to feed their families. The same government statistics (Felix Murillo Alfaro, INEI, October 26, 1996) report that only 827,700 (9.3% of the total) are employed, 678,180 (7.6%) are involved in some kind of activity on the streets (peddlers, informal market, etc.), 379,000 (4.26%) work at home but have no income, 248,310 (2.8%) are registered as servants, generally in exchange for food and shelter or less than the minimum wage. Only 50,730 (0.57%) of economically active women own businesses or occupy management positions.
In the case of working men, 43% are underemployed, these are also classified as "independent workers or informals"; 29% are workers with relatively regular jobs, and 24% are office employees (public and private.)
PERU'S POPULATION.
According to government projections reported by the National Institute of Statistics (INEI), the
population of Peru up to June 30, 1996, is 23,947,000 inhabitants. The increase from 1995 to
1996 was 415,000.
| Population Statistics by Sex | % | By Age | % | ||
| Male | 11,888,000 | 49.64 | 0-14 | 8,483,000 | 35.42 |
| Female | 12,060,000 | 50.36 | 15-64 | 1,400,000 | 60.13 |
| over 65 | 1,064,084 | 4.45 | |||