Peru holds a prominent place in the Pathfinder movement. According to the Desbravai club map (data from July 2026), the country has 1,486 mapped clubs — the second largest number in the world, behind only Brazil, and about 10.4% of all mapped clubs.
But the most revealing number is not the size: it is the age. With an average age of 9.4 years per club (a median of just 7), Peru is home to the youngest movement among the large countries — a portrait of recent and accelerated expansion.
Keep in mind: this is a mapped, empirical count that changes over time. It brings together the public club base of the South American Division and the Desbravai clubs that chose to appear on the map. It is not the official total of members of the movement.
1,486 clubs: the number that places Peru second
According to the Desbravai club map, Peru has 1,486 mapped clubs in July 2026. It is the second largest number in the world and represents about 10.4% of all clubs that appear on the map — a significant share of the South American movement.
To put it in perspective: the map brings together 14,257 clubs across 21 countries. Peru alone accounts for more than one in every ten of these clubs. It is one of the pillars of the movement on the continent that saw the birth of the first club in South America.
This is a portrait of what is mapped today. The number grows and changes as new clubs enter the public base of the South American Division or choose to appear on the Desbravai map.
Where the clubs are: the main fields
The distribution of Peruvian clubs by field (associations and missions) shows where the movement is most concentrated. According to the Desbravai club map, these are the five fields with the most mapped clubs in Peru:
| Position | Field / Association |
|---|---|
| 1st | Asociación Nor Pacífico del Perú |
| 2nd | Misión Centro-Oeste del Perú |
| 3rd | Misión Peruana del Norte |
| 4th | Asociación Peruana del Sur |
| 5th | Asociación Peruana Central Este |
The lead of the Asociación Nor Pacífico and the presence of missions (fields in a growth phase, not yet elevated to associations) reinforce the general reading: the Peruvian movement is in full expansion, with strength spread along the coast and across the north of the country.
The youngest movement among the large ones
Here is the figure that draws the most attention. According to the Desbravai club map, the average age of a Peruvian club is 9.4 years, with a median of just 7 years. Among the large countries of the movement, it is the youngest profile.
What does this reveal? That a good portion of Peruvian clubs were founded in the last decade. The median of 7 years means that half of the clubs are seven years old or younger — a clear sign of a recent wave of foundations.
It is not that the movement is new in the country: the oldest mapped club is 75 years old. It is that the recent expansion is so intense that it pulls the average down. Many new clubs, being born now, coexisting with veterans of decades.
Read alsoThe Pathfinders in Ecuador by the numbersThe size of a typical Peruvian club
According to the Desbravai club map, a Peruvian club has on average 22 members, with a median of 19 — which indicates a balanced distribution, without major distortions. The largest mapped club reaches 356 members, an exceptional case.
The average leadership team is about 9 adults per club. In other words: for each group of Pathfinders, a considerable team of counselors and volunteer leaders who organize meetings, camps and honors.
This average size — neither tiny clubs nor giants — fits the reading of a young and growing movement: lean, agile structures that are still building their base.
Lima, 1955: where it all began in South America
Peru is not only large in number — it is large in history. It was in Lima, in 1955, that the first Pathfinder club in South America was born. The continent that today concentrates most of the world movement took its first steps on Peruvian soil.
This provides an interesting contrast with today's data. The country that started it all more than 70 years ago is, at the same time, the one growing the most now. Tradition and expansion walk together.
If you want to learn more about this trajectory, it is worth exploring the history of Pathfinders in Peru and the regional overview of the South American Division.
How these numbers were compiled
All the numbers in this article come from the Desbravai club map, with data from July 2026. The map aggregates two sources: the public club base of the South American Division (adventistas.org) and the Desbravai clubs that chose to appear on the public map.
It is a mapped count — empirical, of what is registered on our map — and not the official estimate of members of the world movement. These are different things: the map counts clubs that appear on it; the official total of members is another metric, compiled in another way.
Because it is a portrait of a moment, the numbers change over time, as new clubs enter or update their data. Whenever you cite these values, attribute them: according to the Desbravai club map, July 2026.