About Ecuador
Spanish (Castilian) - the official language, spoken by ~98.6% of the population.
Quechua - spoken by ~3.2% of the population as an indigenous language; Quechua and Shuar are official languages of intercultural relations.
Other indigenous languages are in official use by indigenous peoples in the areas they inhabit.
Spanish is the official language of Ecuador nationwide.
| Geography |
Location: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Peru; straddles the equator
Map references: South America
Area:
total: 283,561 sq km
Land boundaries:
border countries: Colombia, Peru
Terrain: coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands (Sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente); includes the Galapagos Islands
| People |
Population: 18,479,841 (2025 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28.23%
15-64 years: 64.11%
65 years and over: 7.66%
Nationality:
noun/adjective: Ecuadorian(s)
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 77.5%, Montubio 7.7%, Indigenous 7.7%, White 2.2%, Afroecuadorian 2%, Mulatto 1.4%, Black 1.3%, other 0.1% (2022 est.)
Religions: Roman Catholic 68.2%, Protestant 19% (Evangelical 18.3%), Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, none 8.2% (2020 est.)
Languages: Spanish (Castilian; official) 98.6%, indigenous 3.9% (Quechua 3.2%, other indigenous 0.7%), foreign 2.8%, other 0.6% (2022 est.); 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
| Government |
Country name:
conventional short form: Ecuador
Data code: EC
Government type: presidential republic
National capital: Quito
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Daniel NOBOA Azin (since 23 November 2023)
| Economy |
Economy - overview: highly informal South American economy; uses the US dollar as its official currency; a major banana exporter; hard hit by COVID-19; macroeconomic fragility from oil dependency; underwent successful debt restructuring; social unrest has hampered economic activity in recent years
GDP (purchasing power parity): $323.28 billion (2026 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.7% (2025 est.)
GDP - per capita: $17,720 PPP (2026 est.)
Inflation rate: -0.2% (2018)
Unemployment rate: 3.3% (2025 est.)
Labor force: 8,671,801 (2019)
Population below poverty line: 25.0% (2019)
Agriculture - products: bananas, sugarcane, milk, oil palm fruit, maize, rice, plantains, chicken, pineapples, cocoa beans (2023)
Currency: United States dollar (USD)
| Communications |
Broadcast media: 956 media outlets, 89% private, 5% public, 6% belonging to small communities; government controls most of the 44 public media stations; most outlets concentrated in Guayas and Pichincha (2022)
| Military |
Military branches: Ecuadorian Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas del Ecuador): Ground Force, Naval Force (includes naval infantry and naval aviation), Air Force (2025)