Oxfam report: Peru’s wealthiest captured 42% of new wealth

An analysis by the nonprofit group Oxfam reveals that the top 1 percent of Peru’s population captured 42 percent of all new wealth generated between 2019 and 2025. This represents an increase from the 2000 to 2019 period, during which the wealthiest 1 percent accounted for approximately 39 percent of new wealth.

In contrast, the poorest 50 percent of the population received only 1.4 percent of new wealth during the same 2019 to 2025 period. The report, produced in collaboration with the Institute for Peruvian Studies, highlights deepening social divisions and growing economic inequality in the country.

A survey conducted by the organizations found that 84 percent of Peruvians believe the country is governed by powerful interests that shape politics for their own benefit, while more than 75 percent believe wealthy individuals and corporations avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Alejandra Alayza, executive director of Oxfam in Peru, warned that such inequality can lead to a dangerous sense of fatalism among the citizenry.