Oxfam analysis finds Peru’s richest captured 42 percent of all new wealth
Only 1.4 percent of all new wealth created between 2019 and 2025 went to the poorest 50 percent, report finds.
Key points
- Oxfam analysis found Peru's top 1 percent captured 42 percent of new wealth from 2019 to 2025.
- The poorest 50 percent received only 1.4 percent of new wealth in the same period.
- A survey found 84 percent of Peruvians believe powerful interests shape politics to their benefit.
Peru's richest 1 percent captured 42 percent of all new wealth generated between 2019 and 2025, according to an analysis by the nonprofit group Oxfam released on Tuesday. The figure is up from about 39 percent in the 2000 to 2019 period, Oxfam told Al Jazeera.
The report says just 1.4 percent of new wealth in the 2019 to 2025 period went to the poorest half of the population. Oxfam said the findings highlight growing inequality in the South American country and raise questions about how the government is addressing social divisions.
What Peruvians told researchers
Oxfam worked with the Institute for Peruvian Studies, a Lima think tank, on a report this month about how Peruvians perceive inequality. They found that 84 percent of Peruvians believed the country is governed by powerful interests that shape politics to their benefit, and more than 75 percent said wealthy corporations and individuals avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
About 70 percent of respondents said they want the government to do more to reduce inequality, which a majority felt had limited access to healthcare, employment, education and justice. Alejandra Alayza, executive director of Oxfam in Peru, said "Inequality is not a force of nature; it is made by political choices."
Economic inequality in Peru has remained stubbornly high for decades.
— Alejandra Alayza, executive director of Oxfam in Peru
Political turmoil and weakened oversight
The inequality findings come during a period of political turmoil in Peru, which has had nine presidents in the last 10 years amid probes, scandals and impeachments. Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as president in July after a narrow race marked by voting delays and heated recriminations.
Analysts say the repeated leadership shakeups have weakened Peru's democracy, and the article notes steps to weaken judicial oversight and hollow out anticorruption watchdogs. Freedom House ranked Peru as "free" in 2022 but downgraded it to "partly free" the following year, a status maintained in its 2026 report.
