Ancash: population, the economy and jobs
Ancash is a department of Peru, number 10 of 25 by population. INEI projects the population of Ancash at 1,208,895 on 30 June 2026, 3.5% of Peru's 34.66 million; 10th largest of Peru's 25 regions. The projection is based on the 2017 census.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Ancash: Ancash's economy produced 42.9 billion soles of gross value added at current prices in 2025, according to INEI's estimate, 3.9% of Peru's 1.11 trillion soles; 8th largest of Peru's 25 regions.
- Health in Ancash: The share of children under five with chronic malnutrition (low height for age, WHO standard) was 15.1% in Ancash (11th highest of 26 areas INEI reports) in 2025, according to INEI's Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES; Peru 12.1%). It was 16.5% in 2021.
- Education in Ancash: In the Ministry of Education's 2025 census evaluation of students (ECE), the share of fourth-grade primary pupils at the satisfactory level in mathematics was 30.1% in Ancash (13th lowest of 26 areas INEI reports) (Peru 30.0%). The share was 30.5% in 2019.
- Poverty and living standards in Ancash: 22.9% of the people of Ancash lived in monetary poverty in 2025, according to INEI's National Household Survey (13th highest of 26 areas INEI reports; Peru 25.7%).
- Government budget and revenue in Ancash: The modified budget (PIM) of the regional government of Ancash for 2025 was S/ 3.03 billion, and it accrued (devengado) S/ 2.95 billion, 97.4% of the budget, according to the MEF's Consulta Amigable (tied for 7th highest of 25 regional governments by execution; all regional governments 96.8%).
Is the population of Ancash growing?
The projected population of Ancash grew by 53,444 people, or 4.6%, between 2018 and 2026 (Peru: up 9.8%); 10th slowest growth of Peru's 25 regions.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI) · saved copyHow fast is the population of Ancash changing?
Between mid-2025 and mid-2026 INEI projects an increase of 3,256 people in Ancash (0.27%), against 0.90% growth for Peru.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI) · saved copyHow many provinces does Ancash have?
Ancash is divided into 20 provinces and 166 districts. The most populous province, Santa, has a projected 497,471 people in 2026, 41.2% of the department.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI) · saved copyWhat is the largest district in Ancash?
The most populous district in Ancash is Chimbote, with a projected 213,966 people in 2026, followed by Nuevo Chimbote (204,768).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI) · saved copyWhich parts of Ancash are losing population?
119 of the 166 districts in Ancash that existed in 2018 have a smaller projected population in 2026 than in 2018.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI) · saved copyHow departments are governed in Peru
Regions (24 departments + Constitutional Province of Callao). Regional governor and regional council directly elected for four years. Regional development, health, education, agriculture and infrastructure.
Every tier of government in Peru
Other departments of Peru
- Lima 11,618,679
- Piura 2,195,231
- La Libertad 2,181,593
- Arequipa 1,656,746
- Cajamarca 1,439,748
- Cusco 1,414,069
- Junin 1,385,412
- Lambayeque 1,382,858
- Callao 1,247,227
- Puno 1,190,370
- Ica 1,104,956
- Loreto 1,069,225
- San Martin 965,964
- Huanuco 737,187
- Ayacucho 668,193
- Ucayali 663,630
- Amazonas 430,305
- Apurimac 423,128
- Tacna 407,996
- Huancavelica 319,894
- Tumbes 273,604
- Pasco 261,297
- Madre de Dios 209,165
- Moquegua 204,742
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Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI): Peru: PBI por Departamentos 2007-2025 (cifras preliminares): Cuadros 1, 3 and 4 (value added by department at constant 2007 and current prices) and Cuadro 182 (2025 value added by activity and department), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a0dbecb43171…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI): Peru: Indicadores del Mercado Laboral a nivel departamental, 2022-2025 (Encuesta Permanente de Empleo Nacional, EPEN): Cuadros 1.1, 1.6, 2.3, 3.1, 5.1, 6.1, 6.7, 7.1 and annex tables, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 eb9c2fcd1b4f…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI): Peru: poblacion total proyectada al 30 de junio de cada ano, segun departamento, provincia y distrito, 2018-2026 (Cuadro 01), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9436df29b883…)
- Ministerio de Economia y Finanzas (MEF): Consulta Amigable, consulta de ejecucion del gasto, 2025, all levels of government by department where the spending target is located (departamento meta) (export of 27 October 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d97244965e32…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI): Peru: Indicadores de Educacion segun Departamentos, 2015-2025 (ENAHO; ECE results from the Ministry of Education's Unidad de Medicion de la Calidad de los Aprendizajes): annex tables on enrolment, years of schooling and illiteracy, cuadros 8.2 and 8.4 (ECE results), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 90667da88878…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI): Peru: Encuesta Demografica y de Salud Familiar, ENDES 2025, statistical tables, chapter 3, fertility: cuadro 3.5 (total fertility rate); file "Cuadros_Estadisticos/Cap. 3" of the complementary-information zip published with the report (June 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bbd854005a99…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI): Peru: Encuesta Demografica y de Salud Familiar, ENDES 2025, statistical tables, chapter 8, maternal health: cuadros 8.2 (prenatal care by skilled personnel) and 8.9 (institutional births); file "Cuadros_Estadisticos/Cap. 8" of the complementary-information zip published with the report (June 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 197faba567f7…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI): Peru: Encuesta Demografica y de Salud Familiar, ENDES 2025, statistical tables, chapter 9, child health: cuadro 9.10 (vaccination of children under 36 months); file "Cuadros_Estadisticos/Cap. 9" of the complementary-information zip published with the report (June 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2721fdf1980a…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI): Peru: Encuesta Demografica y de Salud Familiar, ENDES 2025, statistical tables, chapter 10, nutrition: cuadros 10.14.1 (anaemia in children aged 6-35 months), 10.16 (anaemia in women aged 15-49) and 10.18 (chronic child malnutrition, WHO standard); file "Cuadros_Estadisticos/Cap. 10" of the complementary-information zip published with the report (June 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bdc8d629c2fc…)
- Ministerio de Economia y Finanzas (MEF): Consulta Amigable, consulta de ejecucion del gasto, 2024, activities and projects: regional governments by budget unit (export of 27 October 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5f7ad0aa6e48…)
- Ministerio de Economia y Finanzas (MEF): Consulta Amigable, consulta de ejecucion del gasto, 2025, activities and projects: regional governments (sector 99) by budget unit (pliego), with PIA, PIM, commitments, accrued spending (devengado) and execution rate (export of 27 October 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1448ee1b19e5…)
- Ministerio de Economia y Finanzas (MEF): Consulta Amigable, consulta de ejecucion del gasto, 2025, investment projects only: regional governments by budget unit (export of 27 October 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 69b38fa1b56b…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI): Peru: Evolucion de la Pobreza Monetaria 2016-2025, Informe Tecnico (ENAHO): cuadros III.1 (poverty incidence by department), I.15 (real income per person by department), 4.2 and 4.4 (groups of departments with statistically similar total and extreme poverty), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 475cc9c6b9c3…)
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