Why did millions of migrants move to Lima between 1940 and 1980?

Between 1940 and 1980, approximately 2,000,000 people migrated to Lima, driven by a combination of rural hardship and the city's emergence as a modernizing national magnet.1

Several key factors contributed to this mass migration:

• Rural Overpopulation and Lack of Opportunity: Rapid population growth in the mid-20th century, fueled by high birth rates and declining death rates, led to significant overpopulation in rural areas, particularly in the Andean highlands. The lack of economic opportunity in these regions pushed many to seek better prospects elsewhere.23
• Improved Transportation: A major road-building program in the 1920s and 1930s, spurred by the rise of the automobile, made it significantly easier for migrants to reach the capital from other parts of the country.1
• Urban Attraction: Lima became a center for perceived advancement, with migrants moving to the city in search of better jobs, health care, and educational opportunities.3

As the city expanded, many newcomers settled in pueblos jóvenes (squatter settlements) on the city's outskirts, where they often invested in their own housing over several decades.13