Ecuador

• nearly half of the population is concentrated in the interior, with large concentrations also found along the western coastal strip;
• the rainforests of the east remain sparsely populated

• frequent earthquakes;
• landslides;
• volcanic activity;
• floods;
• periodic droughts

volcanism:

• volcanic activity concentrated along the Andes Mountains;
• Sangay (5,230 m) is mainland Ecuador's most active volcano;
• other historically active volcanoes in the Andes include
  • Antisana,
  • Cayambe,
  • Chacana,
  • Cotopaxi,
  • Guagua Pichincha,
  • Reventador,
  • Sumaco,
  • and Tungurahua
  ;
• Fernandina (1,476 m), a shield volcano, is the most active of the many Galapagos volcanoes;
• other historically active Galapagos volcanoes include
  • Wolf,
  • Sierra Negra,
  • Cerro Azul,
  • Pinta,
  • Marchena,
  • and Santiago

noun:

Ecuadorian(s)

adjective:

Ecuadorian

total:

28.2 years (2025 est.)

male:

27 years

female:

28.9 years

• nearly half of the population is concentrated in the interior, with large concentrations also found along the western coastal strip;
• the rainforests of the east remain sparsely populated

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.81 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

12.2 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

10.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

74.9 years (2024 est.)

male:

69.7 years

female:

80.4 years

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:

9.7% (2025 est.)

male:

17.2% (2025 est.)

female:

2.4% (2025 est.)

women married by age 15:

3.8% (2018)

women married by age 18:

22.2% (2018)

• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• desertification;
• water pollution;
• pollution from oil production wastes in areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands

urban population:

64.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

energy:

454.3 kt (2022-2024 est.)

agriculture:

346.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste:

210.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)

other:

2.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

5.297 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

28% (2022 est.)

municipal:

1.293 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

549 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

8.076 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

3 (2025)

global geoparks and regional networks:

Imbabura: Napo Sumaco; Tungurahua (2025)

conventional long form:

Republic of Ecuador

conventional short form:

Ecuador

local long form:

República del Ecuador

local short form:

Ecuador

former:

Quito

etymology:

the name is the Spanish word for "equator," referring to its geographic position

name:

Quito

geographic coordinates:

0 13 S, 78 30 W

time difference:

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

time zone note:

Ecuador has two time zones, including the Galapagos Islands (UTC-6)

etymology:

named after the Quitu, a Pre-Columbian people who lived in the area; the meaning of their name is unknown

• 24 provinces ( provincias , singular - provincia );
• Azuay, Bolivar, Cañar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabí, Morona Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora Chinchipe

history:

many previous; latest approved 20 October 2008

amendment process:

• proposed by the president of the republic through a referendum, by public petition of at least 1% of registered voters, or by agreement of at least one-third membership of the National Assembly;
• passage requires two separate readings a year apart and approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, and approval by absolute majority in a referendum;
• amendments such as changes to the structure of the state, constraints on personal rights and guarantees, or constitutional amendment procedures are not allowed

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

3 years

• 18-65 years of age;
• universal and compulsory;
• voluntary for 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters

legislature name:

National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)

legislative structure:

unicameral

number of seats:

151 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

proportional representation

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

2/9/2025

parties elected and seats per party:

• Citizen Revolution Movement (RC) - Renewal Movement (RETO) (67);
• National Democratic Action (ADN) (66);
• Pachakutik (9);
• Other (9)

percentage of women in chamber:

45%

expected date of next election:

February 2029

note 1: all Assembly members have alternates from the same party who cast votes when a primary member is absent, resigns, or is removed from office

note 2: on 18 May 2023, Ecuador’s National Electoral Council announced that the legislative and presidential elections - originally scheduled for February 2025 - would be held on 20 August 2023 after President Guillermo LASSO dissolved the National Assembly by decree on 17 May 2023; a return to a regular election cycle will occur in February 2025

highest court(s):

• National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia (consists of 21 judges, including the chief justice and organized into 5 specialized chambers);
• Constitutional Court or Corte Constitucional (consists of the court president and 8 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• candidates for the National Court of Justice evaluated and appointed justices by the Judicial Council, a 9-member independent body of law professionals;
• justices elected for 9-year, non-renewable terms, with one third of the membership renewed every 3 years;
• candidates for the Constitutional Court evaluated and appointed judges by a 6-member independent body of law professionals;
• judges appointed for 4-year renewable terms

subordinate courts:

• provincial courts (one for each province except Galapagos);
• fiscal, criminal, and administrative tribunals;
• Election Dispute Settlement Courts;
• cantonal courts

• Actuemos Ecuador or Actuemos
• AMIGO movement , Independent Mobilizing Action Generating Opportunities (Movimiento AMIGO (Acción Movilizadora Independiente Generando Oportunidades)) or AM16O
• Avanza Party or AVANZA
• Central Democratic Movement or CD
• Citizen Revolution Movement or MRC or RC5
• Creating Opportunities Movement or CREO
• Democratic Left or ID
• Democracy Yes Movement (Movimiento Democracia Si)
• For A Country Without Fear (Por Un País Sin Miedo) (an alliance including PSC, CD, and PSP)
• Green Movement (Movimiento Verde)
• Movimiento Construye or Construye
• National Democratic Action (Acción Democrática Nacional) or ADN
• Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement or MUPP
• Patriotic Society Party or PSP
• People, Equality, and Democracy Party (Partido Pueblo, Igualdad y Democracia) or PID
• Popular Unity Party (Partido Unidad Popular) or UP
• Revolutionary and Democratic Ethical Green Movement (Movimiento Verde Ético Revolucionario y Democrático) or MOVER
• Social Christian Party or PSC
• Socialist Party
• Society United for More Action or SUMA
• Total Renovation Movement ( Movimiento Renovacion Total) or RETO

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Lawrence PETRONI (since 17 April 2025)

embassy:

E12-170 Avenida Avigiras y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito

mailing address:

3420 Quito Place, Washington DC 20521-3420

telephone:

[593] (2) 398-5000

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://ec.usembassy.gov/

consulate(s) general:

Guayaquil

description:

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red, with the coat of arms at the center of the flag

meaning:

• yellow stands for sunshine, grain, and mineral wealth;
• blue for the sky, sea, and rivers;
• red for patriots' blood spilled in the struggle for freedom and justice

note: similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not have a coat of arms

title:

"Salve, O Patria!" (We Salute You, Our Homeland)

lyrics/music:

Juan Leon MERA/Antonio NEUMANE

history:

• adopted 1948;
• MERA wrote the lyrics in 1865;
• only the chorus and second verse are sung

total World Heritage Sites:

5 (3 cultural, 2 natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Historic Quito (c);
• Galápagos Islands (n);
• Historic Cuenca (c);
• Qhapaq Ñan/Andean Road System (c);
• Sangay National Park (n)

• 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

agriculture:

9.5% (2024 est.)

industry:

26.5% (2024 est.)

services:

57.2% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

10.1% (2024 est.)

male:

8.3% (2024 est.)

female:

13% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

25.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

0.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.6% (2023 est.)

highest 10%:

33.2% (2023 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

consumption:

14,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

200 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

14,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

24 million metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

480,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

272,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

8.273 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

271.053 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

271.053 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

10.902 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• 956 media outlets, of which 89% are private, 5% are public, and 6% belong to small communities;
• government controls most of the 44 public media stations, including national media and multiple local radio stations;
• most media outlets are concentrated in Guayas and Pichincha (2022)

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 ports:

6 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

2

very small:

4

ports with oil terminals:

5

key ports:

Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, Puerto Maritimo de Guayaquil

• 18-22 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women;
• 12-month service obligation;
• conscription abolished in 2008 (2025)

note: in 2024, women made up about 5% of the active military

• has a small program focused on acquiring and manufacturing satellites;
• builds scientific satellites;
• conducts research and develops some space-related technologies;
• has relationships with China and Russia's space agencies and industries, as well as the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency and its member states (2025)

• 2007 - an Ecuadorian completed a suborbital astronaut training program provided by Russia
• 2013 - first two domestically designed and built scientific/technology demonstrator satellites (NEE-01/Pegasus, NEE-02/Krysaor) launched by China and Russia
• 2021 - signed accords for the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency
• 2023 - signed US-led Artemis Accords for space exploration

refugees:

30,241 (2024 est.)

IDPs:

57,402 (2024 est.)