Peru
Latin America · Lima · PEN (Peruvian Sol)
Economy & industry overview
Peru is an upper-middle-income emerging market economy in South America, with a nominal GDP of approximately USD 289 billion in 2024 according to the World Bank. The economy is heavily driven by mining and metals (particularly copper, gold, zinc, and silver) which together constitute the largest share of merchandise exports. Agriculture (including fishmeal, asparagus, avocado, blueberry, and coffee), manufacturing, financial services, and tourism are also significant contributors. Peru is a member of the Pacific Alliance, CPTPP, and APEC, and maintains a broad network of free trade agreements that support its export-oriented model. Political instability and social conflict around extractive projects have remained structural challenges to private investment.
Key sectors
Learn everything about Peru →Macro
| GDP nominal, USD | $289.22B |
| GDP growth real, annual | 3.4% |
| Inflation annual | 1.9% |
| Population people | 34.0M |
| GDP per capita USD | $8,653 |
| Market cap total listed, USD | $95.00B |
| Market cap / GDP | 32.9% |
| Unemployment | 6.6% |
| Listed companies | 210 |
| Exchange | Bolsa de Valores de Lima (BVL) |
Data year: 2024. Sources: World Bank – World Development Indicators (2024), IMF World Economic Outlook (April 2025), FocusEconomics – Peru Country Report (2025), INEI – Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática, Bolsa de Valores de Lima (BVL) – www.bvl.com.pe, S&P Dow Jones Indices – S&P/BVL Peru Select Index, Wikipedia – Economy of Peru, Trading Economics – Peru, Worldometer – Peru GDP (2026 IMF estimate).
Latest news
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Other Latin America markets
Brazil
Mexico
Chile
Colombia
ArgentinaLargest listed companies
The biggest companies on the main local exchange, by market capitalisation.
| # | Company | Sector | Market capUSD | US listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Copper CorporationSCCO · BVL / NYSE | Mining – Copper | $68.00B | SCCO |
| 2 | Credicorp Ltd.BAP · BVL / NYSE | Financial Services – Diversified | $14.50B | BAP |
| 3 | Minsur S.A.MINSURI1 · BVL | Mining – Tin & Gold | $3.20B | — |
| 4 | Compañía de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A.BUE · BVL / NYSE | Mining – Gold & Silver | $2.80B | BVN |
| 5 | InRetail Perú Corp.INRETC1 · BVL | Retail & Consumer Staples | $2.60B | — |
| 6 | Intercorp Financial Services Inc.IFS · BVL / NYSE | Financial Services – Banking & Insurance | $2.40B | IFS |
| 7 | Ferreycorp S.A.A.FERREYC1 · BVL | Industrials – Machinery & Distribution | $900.00M | — |
| 8 | Alicorp S.A.A.ALICORC1 · BVL | Consumer Staples – Food Products | $1.20B | — |
| 9 | Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A.CPACASC1 · BVL / NYSE | Materials – Cement | $700.00M | CPAC |
| 10 | Nexa Resources Peru S.A.A.NEXAPEC1 · BVL / NYSE | Mining – Zinc & Base Metals | $650.00M | NEXA |
| 11 | UNACEM Corp S.A.A.UNACEMC1 · BVL | Materials – Cement & Concrete | $1.50B | — |
| 12 | Corporación Aceros Arequipa S.A.CORAREI1 · BVL | Materials – Steel | $520.00M | — |
| 13 | Enel Generación Perú S.A.A.ENGEPEC1 · BVL | Utilities – Electric Power Generation | $900.00M | — |
| 14 | Enel Distribución Perú S.A.A.ENDISPC1 · BVL | Utilities – Electric Power Distribution | $600.00M | — |
| 15 | Aenza S.A.A.GRAMONC1 · BVL | Industrials – Construction & Engineering | $280.00M | — |
| 16 | Volcan Compañía Minera S.A.A.VOLCABC1 · BVL | Mining – Zinc, Lead & Silver | $800.00M | — |
| 17 | Scotiabank Perú S.A.A.SCOTIAC1 · BVL | Financial Services – Banking | $1.10B | — |
| 18 | Luz del Sur S.A.A.LUSURC1 · BVL | Utilities – Electric Power Distribution | $750.00M | — |
| 19 | Hochschild Mining plc (Peru ops listed via BVL)HOC · BVL / LSE | Mining – Gold & Silver | $1.30B | — |
| 20 | Cía. Minera Poderosa S.A.PODERC1 · BVL | Mining – Gold | $350.00M | — |
US-traded ETFs
Funds listed in the US that give exposure to this market, the simplest route for many US investors.
| ETF | Scope | Expense ratioannual % | Exposure% of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPUiShares MSCI Peru and Global Exposure ETF · BlackRock / iShares | Single-country | 0.59% | 100% |
| VWOVanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF · Vanguard | Broad EM | 0.08% | 0% |
| ILFiShares Latin America 40 ETF · BlackRock / iShares | Regional | 0.47% | 4% |
| GMLSPDR S&P Emerging Latin America ETF · State Street Global Advisors | Regional Delisted | 0.49% | 3% |
| EEMiShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF · BlackRock / iShares | Broad EM | 0.70% | 0% |
Local exchange & access
| Exchange | Bolsa de Valores de Lima |
| Code | BVL |
| Website | www.bvl.com.pe |
| Currency | PEN |
Local broker access
International investors can access BVL-listed equities through select Latin America-focused brokerages, including Credicorp Capital (local), Scotiabank Peru, and international platforms with OTC access. US investors most commonly gain exposure via the iShares MSCI All Peru Capped ETF (EPU) or through NYSE-listed ADRs such as Credicorp (BAP), Compañía de Minas Buenaventura (BVN), and Southern Copper (SCCO). Settle times on the BVL follow a T+2 cycle. Currency repatriation is generally unrestricted; however, foreign exchange controls and tax withholding on dividends (5%) and capital gains apply.
Global brokers with foreign-market access
- Interactive Brokers — Direct access to 90+ markets worldwide, including many emerging exchanges.
- Saxo Bank — Multi-market access across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
- Charles Schwab (Global) — Foreign ordinary shares on select markets; US-listed ADRs and ETFs.
- Fidelity International Trading — International stock trading on a number of developed and emerging markets.
Listed for convenience only. Not a recommendation. Available markets, fees and onboarding rules differ by broker and by your country of residence.
Relocation & residency
Investment visa / residency programme
Grants Temporary residency (renewable, path to permanent residency)
Peru offers a residency-by-investment pathway under its immigration framework (Legislative Decree No. 1350 and its regulations). Foreign nationals who make a qualifying investment: such as a fixed-term bank deposit of at least USD 500,000, or a direct business investment of equivalent value generating local employment: may apply for a Rentista or Inversionista residency category, which grants temporary residency renewable annually and may lead to permanent residency after qualifying periods. There is no formal citizenship-by-investment programme; naturalisation requires a separate multi-year residency process under Peruvian nationality law.
Minimum investment: $500.00K
Need help applying? Specialist investment-migration advisers such as Henley & Partners.
Foreign-investor access
Peru does not operate a dedicated 'golden visa' scheme by that name, but the Inversionista and Rentista visa categories allow foreign nationals to reside based on qualifying investment or passive income. Lima has a growing expat community; cost of living is moderate relative to Western countries. Healthcare quality varies significantly between Lima and provincial areas. Spanish is the official language; Quechua and Aymara are co-official in their regions.
US-listed ADRs & cross-listings
Companies from this country whose shares also trade in the US, investable in a normal US brokerage account.
| Company | US ticker | Local ticker | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. | CPAC | CPACASC1 | Cementos Pacasmayo trades ADRs on the NYSE (each ADR = 5 ordinary shares). It is the leading cement producer in northern Peru. |
| Compañía de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. | BVN | BUE | Buenaventura trades as American Depositary Shares (each ADS = 1 ordinary share) on the NYSE. Peru's largest publicly traded precious-metals miner; also holds a stake in Yanacocha. |
| Credicorp Ltd. | BAP | BAP | Credicorp is incorporated in Bermuda and directly listed on NYSE; it also trades on the BVL. It is Peru's largest financial holding group and the highest-profile Peruvian name on a US exchange. |
| Intercorp Financial Services Inc. | IFS | IFS | Incorporated in Panama and dual-listed on the NYSE and BVL. It is the financial holding entity of the Intercorp Group, encompassing Interbank and insurance operations. |
| Nexa Resources S.A. | NEXA | NEXAPEC1 | Nexa Resources is listed on both the NYSE and TSX; its principal operating subsidiary Nexa Resources Peru S.A.A. is separately listed on the BVL. Controlled by Brazil's Votorantim Group. |
| Southern Copper Corporation | SCCO | SCCO | Southern Copper is primarily a NYSE-listed US company (incorporated in Delaware) that also lists its shares on the BVL. Majority owned by Grupo México; principal mining operations are in Peru and Mexico. |