PurposeSocieties go through complex challenges in the face of the vertiginous increase in disasters, mostly produced by the effects of extreme events. The lack of capacity to deal with disasters is evident, especially in developing countries, as in the case of Peru. Under such a premise, this paper contributes to strengthening the country's capacities, through an evaluation of national disaster resilience to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation-driven hazards caused by the El Nino disaster event between 2016 and 2017 on the Peruvian coast. Design/methodology/approachBy reviewing the literature, various hazards were identified, such as heavy rainfalls and cascading hazards, such as floods and landslides. Even though risk assessments were carried out, 169 people died and essential infrastructure was severely impacted and lost. Through a 12-criteria resilience assessment framework sub-divided into sustainable development and disaster risk reduction, a diagnosis of national disaster resilience was carried out, along with a disaster risk management evaluation. Under such assessments, strategic recommendations were proposed to enhance the resilience of the country. FindingsThe lack of resilience of the country is reflected in the evaluated criteria, the most negative being the built environment due to infrastructure system's vulnerability to hazards, and the lack of social development, despite national economic growth in Peru. Originality/valueThe research is extremely valuable because it bridges the knowledge gap on disaster resilience in Peru. In addition, the methodology, as well as the multi-topic assessment framework, can be used for other analyses, which are key to building greater capacity in nations around the globe.