Peruvians of European descent, also known as White Peruvians, according to international reliable sources, make up about 19.5% of the total population of Peru. Traditionally, this group has been more dominant in the political, commercial, and diplomatic sectors of Peruvian society. European Peruvians live primarily in Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura, Cajamarca and Arequipa, mainly in the Peruvian coast. The following are the ethnic backgrounds of the majority of European-descended Peruvians: Spanish, Italian, German (includes Poles due to Partitions of Poland), French, British, Croatian and Irish. Peru is also home to some 42,000 Jews whose ancestors came mainly from Germany, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova and Russia, among others.
History
European immigration to Peru began with the Spanish colonization of the Americas.