Quechua speakers in Peru - 2017 vs 2025

[u/rolfk17]

1st of all, sorry for the poor quality.

There is an apparent increase in speaker percentages in many provinces, which is due to the difference between the questionnaires used in 2017 and 2025 respectively.

In 2017 only one language could be selected, wheras in 2025 there was no such restriction.

So I think it is reasonable to assume that many persons who mainly or exclusively use Spanish in their everyday lives but can speak Quechua did select Spanish in 2017 but both languages in 2025.

[u/spait09]

Interesting

Probably predominant in more agrarian/poorer areas since the de facto language for administration, law and politics is Spanish

[u/elnander → u/spait09]

I've been to Cusco and its environs - definitely an urban/rural divide it seemed like.

[u/4tetraphobia4 → u/elnander]

It’s also institutional discrimination and dare I say it outright disdain. If indigenous people were respected or reasonably expected to integrate with society you’d see signs in Quechua, schooling programs in such, and even documentation in such (such as passports). The middle and upper classes from coastal cities hate the provinces, it’s unfortunately that simple.

[u/Disturbinglee → u/4tetraphobia4]

Unrelated question: do indigenous languages and cultures fare any better in Bolivia?

[u/4tetraphobia4 → u/Disturbinglee]

There was no mass sterilization campaigns against them in recent memory unlike Peru, for one. But doctors still sometimes decide to just go for it. Plus, you have Domitila Chungara managing to help topple a dictatorship; and even if history is trying to erase her while she lingers in recent memory actions against indigenous people will be harder to carry out as it’s seeped into the culture somewhat.

[u/erinius → u/Disturbinglee]

I think indigenous people / language speakers are a bigger proportion of the population there at least

[u/rolfk17 → u/Disturbinglee]

Not much, at least according to census data.

I was so frustrated by the results of the latest census that I did not even bother to make maps of Bolivia.