This article analyzes the scientific and innovative activity of Peru in relation to its South American peers. For this purpose, indicators of investment in R&D, publications, patents, collaboration, impact and the relationship between some of them were defined. The data were retrieved from Scopus, SciVal, World Bank and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The study showed that both the R&D investment and scientific and technological production in Peru are lower than in other South American countries. Peru ranks fifth in South America in international collaboration (60.1%), and a similar trend is seen in impact and performance. All the countries in the study show increases in publications in Q1 journals, according to the SJR. Among the conclusions, it is worth highlighting the low investment in R&D in most of the countries in the region (below 0.6% of GDP), as well as the high technological dependence and the important role of universities as a driving force for research.