What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the “Republic of the Equator.” Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 30 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period was marred by political instability. Protests in Quito contributed to the mid-term ouster of three of Ecuador’s last four democratically elected presidents. In late 2008, voters approved a new constitution, Ecuador’s 20th since gaining independence. Guillermo LASSO was elected president in April 2021 becoming the country’s first center-right president in nearly two decades when he took office the following month.
land: 276,841 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands
border countries (2): Colombia 708 km; Peru 1529 km
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
note: Ecuador has declared its right to extend its continental shelf to 350 nm measured from the baselines of the Galapagos Archipelago
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
mean elevation: 1,117 m
note: because the earth is not a perfect sphere and has an equatorial bulge, the highest point on the planet farthest from its center is Mount Chimborazo not Mount Everest, which is merely the highest peak above sea level
arable land: 4.7% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 5.6% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 19.4% (2018 est.)
forest: 38.9% (2018 est.)
other: 31.4% (2018 est.)
note 2: genetic research indicates that the cherry-sized tomato originated in Ecuador without any human domestication; later domestication in Mexico transformed the plant into the large modern tomato; archeological research indicates that the cacao tree, whose seeds are used to make chocolate and which was long thought to have originated in Mesoamerica, was first domesticated in the upper Amazon region of northwest South America - present-day Ecuador - about 3,300 B.C.
17,483,326 (2023 est.)
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and White) 71.9%, Montubio 7.4%, Amerindian 7%, White 6.1%, Afroecuadorian 4.3%, Mulatto 1.9%, Black 1%, other 0.4% (2010 est.)
Spanish (Castilian) 93% (official), Quechua 4.1%, other indigenous 0.7%, foreign 2.2%; note - (Quechua and Shuar are official languages of intercultural relations; other indigenous languages are in official use by indigenous peoples in the areas they inhabit) (2010 est.)
major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic 68.8%, Evangelical 15.4%, Adventist 1.2%, Jehovah’s Witness 1%, other 1.3%, agnostic or atheist 1.4%, none 10.1%, don’t know/no response 1% (2020 est.)
note: data represent persons at least 16 years of age from five Ecuadoran cities
Ecuador’s high poverty and income inequality most affect indigenous, mixed race, and rural populations. The government has increased its social spending to ameliorate these problems, but critics question the efficiency and implementation of its national development plan. Nevertheless, the conditional cash transfer program, which requires participants’ children to attend school and have medical check-ups, has helped improve educational attainment and health care among poor children. Ecuador’s total fertility rate – the average number of children born per woman – is just below replacement level as of 2023, but its population is continuing to grow.Ecuador continues to be both a country of emigration and immigration. The first large-scale emigration of largely undocumented Ecuadorians occurred between 1980 and 2000, when an economic crisis drove Ecuadorians from southern provinces to New York City, where they had connections from the earlier Panama hat trade. Emigration from all parts of Ecuador in the late 1990s was caused by another economic downturn, political instability, and a currency crisis. Spain was the logical destination because of its shared language and the wide availability of low-skilled, informal jobs at a time when increased border surveillance made illegal migration to the US difficult. Ecuador became Spain’s second largest immigrant source country. The bulk of Ecuadorian emigration, however, occurred between 2000 and 2007, largely to the US, Spain, and Italy. Emigration has again surged since 2017, as economic problems, high unemployment, poverty, and violence have lead thousands of Ecuadorian migrants and refugees to head to the US. As of 2021, Ecuadorians were the fourth-highest nationality coming into contact with US Customs and Border Protection at the US-Mexico border. Most Ecuadorian migrants and refugees traverse the dangerous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama to reach Mexico. Although Mexico reinstated a visa requirement in September 2021, Ecuadorians continue to enter Mexico illegally and then travel to the US or Canada. Some wind up staying in Mexico if their journeys north fail. Emigrants represent 8-10% of Ecuador’s population, as of 2021.Ecuador hosts one of the region’s largest refugee populations. From 2000-2005, Colombians arrived in growing numbers to escape armed conflict, and they have continued to immigrate to Ecuador steadily. Between 2008, when Ecuador lifted visa requirements for all countries, and 2016, immigrants entered from Haiti, Cuba, and other continents. The influx of Venezuelans began in 2017, and, as of May 2022, Ecuador was home to the third-largest community of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the world at over half a million. Immigrants and refugees account for 3-5% of the Ecuador’s population, as of 2021.
0-14 years: 24.49% (male 2,183,293/female 2,098,856)
15-64 years: 66.44% (male 5,739,156/female 5,876,090)
65 years and over: 9.07% (2023 est.) (male 745,170/female 840,761)
total dependency ratio: 50.9
youth dependency ratio: 39.4
elderly dependency ratio: 11.5
potential support ratio: 8.7 (2021 est.)
total: 27.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 26.8 years
female: 28.7 years
0.99% (2023 est.)
18 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
nearly half of the population is concentrated in the interior in the Andean intermontane basins and valleys, with large concentrations also found along the western coastal strip; the rainforests of the east remain sparsely populated
urban population: 64.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
3.142 million Guayaquil, 1.957 million QUITO (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
66 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 12.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 74.9 years (2023 est.)
male: 69.7 years
female: 80.4 years
2.24 children born/woman (2023 est.)
1.09 (2023 est.)
77.9% (2018/19)
note: percent of women aged 15-50
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 87.1% of population
total: 95.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 12.9% of population
total: 4.6% of population (2020 est.)
8.5% of GDP (2020)
2.22 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
1.4 beds/1,000 population (2016)
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 96.9% of population
total: 98.9% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 3.1% of population
total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
19.9% (2016)
total: 3.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 2.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.61 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 11.3% (2020 est.)
male: 18.4% (2020 est.)
female: 4.2% (2020 est.)
5.2% (2018/19)
55.1% (2023 est.)
women married by age 15: 3.8%
women married by age 18: 22.2% (2018 est.)
3.7% of GDP (2021 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.5%
male: 94.9%
female: 94% (2021)
total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2020)
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
agricultural land: 29.7% (2018 est.)
arable land: 4.7% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 5.6% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 19.4% (2018 est.)
forest: 38.9% (2018 est.)
other: 31.4% (2018 est.)
urban population: 64.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.27% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 16.55 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 41.15 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 23.51 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 5,297,211 tons (2015 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 683,340 tons (2015 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 12.9% (2015 est.)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 sq km)
municipal: 1.29 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 550 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 8.8 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
442.4 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
highly informal South American economy; USD currency user; major banana exporter; hard hit by COVID-19; macroeconomic fragility from oil dependency; successful debt restructuring; China funding budget deficits; social unrest hampering economic activity
$189.88 billion (2021 est.)
$182.165 billion (2020 est.)
$197.549 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
4.24% (2021 est.)
-7.79% (2020 est.)
0.01% (2019 est.)
$10,700 (2021 est.)
$10,400 (2020 est.)
$11,400 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$107.436 billion (2019 est.)
0.13% (2021 est.)
-0.34% (2020 est.)
0.27% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: B- (2020)
Moody’s rating: Caa3 (2020)
Standard & Poors rating: B- (2020)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 6.7% (2017 est.)
industry: 32.9% (2017 est.)
services: 60.4% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 60.7% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 14.4% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 24.3% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 20.8% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -21.3% (2017 est.)
sugar cane, bananas, milk, oil palm fruit, maize, rice, plantains, poultry, cocoa, potatoes
petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals
0.49% (2021 est.)
note: excludes oil refining
8.528 million (2021 est.)
6.43% (2021 est.)
6.11% (2020 est.)
3.81% (2019 est.)
total: 14.2% (2021 est.)
male: 11.4%
female: 18.8%
25% (2019 est.)
47.3 (2020 est.)
note: data are for urban households only
on food: 26.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 0.8% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 35.4% (2012 est.)
note: data are for urban households only
revenues: $35.914 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $39.319 billion (2019 est.)
-4.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
45.4% of GDP (2017 est.)
43.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
12.54% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
$2.952 billion (2021 est.)
$2.69 billion (2020 est.)
-$59.36 million (2019 est.)
$29.325 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$22.401 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$26.12 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
United States 30%, China 13%, Panama 8%, Chile 7% (2019)
crude petroleum, shrimp, bananas, refined petroleum, tuna (2021)
$28.567 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$19.877 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$25.89 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
United States 22%, China 18%, Colombia 9%, Panama 5% (2019)
refined petroleum, coal tar oil, cars, packaged medicines, soybean products (2019)
$7.912 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$7.137 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$2.939 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$50.667 billion (2019 est.)
$43.224 billion (2018 est.)
1 (2021 est.)
1 (2020 est.)
1 (2019 est.)
1 (2018 est.)
1 (2017 est.)
the US dollar became Ecuador’s currency in 2001
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 9.354 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 26,353,430,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 1.826 billion kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 6 million kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 4.303 billion kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 21% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 77.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 1.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 10,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 10,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 24 million metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 478,000 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 259,000 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 349,400 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 8.273 billion barrels (2021 est.)
137,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
25,870 bbl/day (2015 est.)
153,900 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 342.407 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
consumption: 342.407 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 10.902 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
36.051 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 45,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 35.329 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 677,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
42.564 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 7 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 35
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 5,365,261 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 64.2 million (2018) mt-km
HC
432 (2021)
104
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
328
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
2 (2021)
485 km extra heavy crude, 123 km gas, 2,131 km oil, 1,526 km refined products (2017)
total: 965 km (2022)
narrow gauge: 965 km (2022) 1.067-m gauge
note: passenger service limited to certain sections of track, mostly for tourist trains
total: 43,950 km (2022)
paved: 8,895 km (2022)
unpaved: 35,055 km (2022)
1,500 km (2012) (most inaccessible)
total: 147 (2022)
by type: container ship 1, general cargo 8, oil tanker 28, other 110
major seaport(s): Esmeraldas, Manta, Puerto Bolivar
container port(s) (TEUs): Guayaquil (2,163,151) (2021)
river port(s): Guayaquil (Guayas)
manyapis