France and Peru

Political relations

Franco-Peruvian relations have traditionally been friendly. They grew particularly strong between 2012 and 2016, with three visits by President Ollanta Humala – a French speaker and a Francophile – and a visit by President François Hollande to Peru in 2016, strengthening ties in all areas.

Bilateral consultations were held at administrative level in March 2021 and in March 2023 in Paris. The next bilateral consultations are expected to be held in Lima in 2025.

The Peruvian Presidency of COP20 (December 2014 - November 2015) and French Presidency of COP21 (December 2015 - November 2016) enabled close cooperation on environmental protection and the fight against climate change.
More generally, Peru is an international partner for global challenges, in particular on environmental and human rights matters. During its term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2018 and 2019, France and Peru worked successfully together.

French presence in Peru and Peruvian presence in France

• French Consulate: Consular section at the French Embassy in Lima, Honorary Consulates in Arequipa, Cuzco and Piura
• French community in Peru: 3,888 registered (88% in Lima)
• Peruvian community in France: estimated at 10,000

Visits

Former Peruvian President Humala (2011-2016) made several visits to France, in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He also took part, alongside President Hollande, in the COP21 opening ceremony on 30 November 2015 in Paris.

François Hollande travelled to Peru for a state visit in February 2016. Several bilateral agreements were signed during this visit, particularly in the areas of academia, economics and the environment, as well as a cooperation agreement between the Peruvian government and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD, French Development Agency). This visit also highlighted the French-Peruvian space partnership (the Peru Sat-1 satellite was successfully launched in September 2016).

President Kuczynski travelled to Paris in June 2017 to take part in the International Economic Forum on Latin America and the Caribbean. On that occasion, he met with the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, at the Élysée.

Economic relations

Trade between France and Peru totalled €1.03 billion in 2023. The commercial deficit stood at €441 million in 2022.

In 2023, Peru ranked 91st among our customers (7th in Latin America) and 67th among our suppliers (4th in Latin America), representing 0.078% of our foreign trade. France ranked 21st among Peru’s suppliers in 2023.

French exports, 97.6% of which are made up of manufactured products (mechanical equipment, electrical, electronic and computer equipment, chemicals, perfumes and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and transport equipment), represent little. They totalled €295 million in 2023. French purchases of Peruvian products stood at €736 million in 2023, and were mainly made up of agricultural products and hydrocarbons. France was Peru’s 22nd largest customer in 2023.
France was Peru’s 17th largest investor in 2023, far behind the United Kingdom, Spain, Chile and the United States. Engie and Vinci are the main French investors in Peru. French FDI stock stood at $226.4 million in 2023. There is however a greater presence of French companies, both in sales and investments, than it seems. A number of large French companies supply the Peruvian market from production and distribution centres in third countries. More than 90 French subsidiaries and representation offices are registered in Peru, employing almost 18,000 people.

Several major economic contracts made possible through intergovernmental agreements were won by France in 2020-2021, including the building and renovation of hospitals in Cusco and Lima (APHP-Egis) and the implementation of two emblematic road projects (Egis).

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

Our cultural, educational, academic and scientific cooperation is buoyant and a key focus of the bilateral relationship.

University exchanges draw on some 226 cooperation agreements and an agreement on mutual recognition of diplomas signed in 2016. France ranks as the sixth most popular host country for Peruvian students.

Our scientific cooperation is primarily focused on climate and social issues. It is essentially based around the French Research Institute for Development (IRD) and the French Institute for Andean Studies (IFEA), which have been in Peru for over 50 and 70 years respectively. These two research organizations are recognized by scientific bodies in Peru, both in the area of research and training doctoral students. Two doctoral schools, one in the area of life sciences and one relating to geosciences, energy and the environment, were created in partnership with the IRD and several French and Peruvian universities. An ECOS Nord programme was launched in June 2019 with Peru, which is also involved in regional research programmes in Latin America such as STIC-Amsud, MATH-Amsud and CLIMAT-Amsud. Heritage cooperation with Peru has been developed through a project to restore and promote the heritage of the Sondondo region.
Our cultural cooperation with Peru is also long-standing. It is governed by a cultural agreement on scientific and technical cooperation, signed in 1972. Exchanges are well developed, particularly in the book industry, live entertainment and cinema.

The Alliances Françaises in Peru are spread across seven cities, with some 43,000 French language learners. The branch in Lima is the leading Alliance Française in Latin America, with almost 10,000 students. In February 2020, it celebrated its 130th anniversary.

Agreements were also signed between the French Embassy and the Peruvian Ministry of Education in 2020, 2021 and 2023, which aim to develop French language learning in the Peruvian public education sector.

Other cooperation

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has been present in Peru since 2015, with investments totalling €535 million thus far. The Agency has focused on four sectors: sustainable social housing; inclusive financing; sustainable urban public services; and the preservation of the environment and the just social transition. Lending is based on non-sovereign credit lines, granted to the Peruvian fund “FondoMiVivienda”, a public social housing bank (€305 million), and to municipal funds for financial intermediation. Public health is supported through a European subsidy. Lastly, Peru is included in multi-country projects receiving subsidies for the preservation of the Amazon.

Updated: 9 August 2024