Peru, located in South America, is approximately two-thirds the size of Mexico. Almost 40% of its total population is poor, and 14% is considered to be living in severe poverty. While life expectancy in Peru has increased, inequities in living conditions and access to care remain major challenges, especially in rural and remote areas of the country. More than half of rural residences lacked basic potable water and sewerage, leading to cholera outbreaks and other waterborne diseases.
While education has improved in Peru, literacy rates lag in women compared with men. In fact, nearly 25% of girls in rural areas are not literate. A survey in 2000 showed that the average years of schooling completed by adults over age 15 was just over 8 years. The prevalence of HIV is less than 1%, but unevenly distributed throughout the country, disproportionately affecting young people between the ages of 25 and 34.
Disease preventable by immunization, infections such as pneumonia and meningitis, malaria, and nutritional deficiencies are responsible for almost half of all deaths in children less than 5 years of age. While overall rates of death from infectious diseases, related to pregnancy and childbirth, and perinatal mortality have declined, there are remote and rural areas in which these causes of death remain very high.
