Geography
Size snapshot: slightly smaller than Nevada.
CIA 2026
Data as of May 5, 2026
Ecuador
South AmericaOverachiever
Don't underestimate Ecuador. Think you know the secret?
Don't underestimate Ecuador. Ranked #116 economically, yet #50 in university enrollment. Think you know the secret?
-2.0, -77.5 - South America
Area
277K km²
Pop.
18.48M
Stats
127
Reality brief
Ecuador is a country in South America with a population of 18.48M and an area of 276,841 km². Life expectancy is 77.4 years.
Short factual summary generated from the same country data used in game rounds.
Core numbers
Stats worth knowing
Fast scan first, deep dive later.
University Enrollment Rate
67.89%#50globally
Total university and college enrollment as a percentage of the typical college-age population.
Land Area
248.4K km²#77globally
Total land area in square kilometers, excluding lakes, rivers, and territorial waters.
Life Expectancy
77.4 years#78globally
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
Human Development Index
0.78#88globally
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
Country briefing
Grounded facts about Ecuador
A quick real-world briefing before you dive deeper into rankings, surprises, and matchups.
Culture
Major languages include Spanish (Castilian; official) 98.6%, indigenous 3.9% (Quechua 3.2%, other indigenous 0.7%), foreign 2.8%, and more.
CIA 2026
Identity
Formal name: Republic of Ecuador.
CIA 2026
Cities
Cities in Ecuador
Browse this country's cities before City Detective asks you to guess.
Guayaquil
Guayas, Ecuador
Famous85/100
Open city guide
Quito
Pichincha, Ecuador
Famous100/100
Open city guide
Cuenca
Azuay, Ecuador
Famous68/100
Open city guide
Machala
El Oro, Ecuador
Notable61/100
Open city guide
Portoviejo
Manabi, Ecuador
Notable61/100
Open city guide
Loja
Ecuador
Notable60/100
Open city guide
Manta
Manabi, Ecuador
Notable60/100
Open city guide
Riobamba
Chimborazo Province, Ecuador
Notable60/100
Open city guide
Top stats
Where They Stand Out
The strongest source-backed stats before the deeper data table.
Highest Elevation
6.3K m#13globallyTop stat
Highest point elevation from CIA World Factbook.
Inequality (Gini)
45.2#8globallyTop stat
A measure of income inequality where 0 means everyone earns the same and 100 means one person has everything.
Women in Parliament (%)
43.07%#18globallyTop stat
The percentage of parliament seats held by women.
Airports
320#22globallyTop stat
Large, medium, and small airport records by country from the open OurAirports dataset.
Irrigated Land
12.5K km²#35globally
Irrigated land area from CIA World Factbook.
Reality checks
Did You Know?
The stats that tend to surprise players in real rounds.
Only ranks #200 in gdp growth rate
#200-2%GDP Growth Rate
The annual percentage change in the country's GDP.
Compared with the region
How Ecuador Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
Ecuador
South America avg
World avg
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
- Country
- $15,840.27
- Region avg
- $23,608.58
- World avg
- $31,844.55
Ecuador$15,840.27
South America$23,608.58
World$31,844.55
-50% below worldWB 2023
Life Expectancy
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
- Country
- 77.4 years
- Region avg
- 76.3 years
- World avg
- 73.7 years
Ecuador77.4 years
South America76.3 years
World73.7 years
+5% above worldWB 2023
Human Development Index
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
- Country
- 0.78
- Region avg
- 0.81
- World avg
- 0.74
Ecuador0.78
South America0.81
World0.74
+5% above worldOWID 2023
Internet Users
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
- Country
- 77%
- Region avg
- 85.63%
- World avg
- 70.29%
Ecuador77%
South America85.63%
World70.29%
+10% above worldWB 2023
Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Play this countryFactbook notes
About Ecuador
Country briefing
What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533.
Read the full Factbook note
What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito -- the traditional name for the area -- 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 to become an independent republic in 1830, the traditional name was changed to 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 has had nearly 50 years of civilian governance, the period has been marked by political instability.
Geography & Climate6 facts
- Location
- Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
- Climate
- tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
- Terrain
- coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
- Natural Resources
- petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
- Natural Hazards
- 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
- Size Comparison
- slightly smaller than Nevada
People & Culture4 facts
- Languages
- Spanish (Castilian; official) 98.6%, indigenous 3.9% (Quechua 3.2%, other indigenous 0.7%), foreign 2.8%, other 0.6% (includes Ecuadorian sign language) (2022 est.)
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 68.2%, Protestant 19% (Evangelical 18.3%, Adventist 0.6%, other Protestant 0.2%), Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, other 2.3%, none 8.2% don't know/no response 1% (2023 est.)
- 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.)
- Major Cities
- 3.142 million Guayaquil, 1.957 million QUITO (capital) (2023)
Government & History10 facts
- Government Type
- presidential republic
- Capital
- Quito
- Capital Coordinates
- 0 13 S, 78 30 W
- Capital Timezone
- UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- Republic of Ecuador
- Name Origin
- the name is the Spanish word for "equator," referring to its geographic position
- Independence
- 24 May 1822 (from Spain)
- National Symbols
- Andean condor
- National Anthem
- "Salve, O Patria!" (We Salute You, Our Homeland)
- UNESCO Heritage
- 5 (3 cultural, 2 natural)
Economy & Trade7 facts
- Overview
- 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
- Industries
- petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals
- Agricultural Products
- bananas, sugarcane, milk, oil palm fruit, maize, rice, plantains, chicken, pineapples, cocoa beans (2023)
- Export Partners
- USA 22%, China 21%, Panama 12%, Japan 3%, Peru 3% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- crude petroleum, shellfish, bananas, fish, gold (2023)
- Import Partners
- USA 27%, China 20%, Colombia 7%, Brazil 4%, Peru 4% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- refined petroleum, coal tar oil, cars, packaged medicine, plastics (2023)
Infrastructure & Defense5 facts
- Military Forces
- Ecuadorian Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas del Ecuador): Ground Force (Fuerza Terrestre), Naval Force (Fuerza Naval; includes naval infantry, naval aviation, coast guard), Ecuadorian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana) (2025)
- Military Service
- 18-22 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 12-month service obligation; conscription abolished in 2008 (2025)
- Energy Mix
- fossil fuels: 23.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 75.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); biomass and waste: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Broadcast Media
- 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)
- Space Program
- 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)
Source:World Factbook archive 2026
Data vault
Deep Dive
Every tracked stat, grouped for fast scanning.
Society & Equality2 statsBest: #8
Land & Sea4 statsBest: #13
Highest Elevation
6.3K m#13
Coastline Length
2.2K km#57
Lowest Elevation
0 m#77
Land Border Length
2.2K km#83
Environment9 statsBest: #19
Irrigated Land
12.5K km²#35
Renewable Energy (%)
Forest Area
Forest Coverage (%)
Protected Land (%)
Total CO2 Emissions
CO2 Per Capita
Air Pollution (PM2.5)
Electricity Access (%)
Infrastructure3 statsBest: #22
Education & Future5 statsBest: #50
Military & Defense2 statsBest: #51
Demographics12 statsBest: #60
Teen Birth Rate
Population
Land Area
Birth Rate
Fertility Rate
Death Rate
Youth Population (%)
Elderly Population (%)
Urban Population (%)
Median Age
Population Density
Dependency Ratio
Lifestyle4 statsBest: #61
Wealth & Economy10 statsBest: #63
GDP (Nominal)
High-Tech Exports (%)
Unemployment Rate
GDP Per Capita
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
Government Debt (% GDP)
Youth Unemployment Rate
Inflation Rate
FDI Inflows (% GDP)
GDP Growth Rate
Energy1 statsBest: #69
Electric Generating Capacity
8.44M kW#69
Health & Survival9 statsBest: #74
Life Expectancy
Health Spending (% GDP)
Doctors (per 1,000)
Obesity Rate
Suicide Rate
Child Mortality
Infant Mortality
Hospital Beds (per 1,000)
Smoking Rate
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Ecuador
#50 in University Enrollment Rate
Total university and college enrollment as a percentage of the typical college-age population.
Top 20% globally
67.89%
Frequently Asked Questions about Ecuador
What is the population of Ecuador?
Ecuador has a population of 18.48M, ranking #69 globally by population.
What continent is Ecuador in?
Ecuador is located in South America. It has an area of 276,841 km².
What is the life expectancy in Ecuador?
Life expectancy in Ecuador is 77.4 years, ranking #78 globally.
What is the GDP per capita of Ecuador?
Ecuador's GDP per capita (PPP) is $15,840.27, ranking #115 globally.
What is Ecuador known for in global statistics?
Ecuador ranks particularly high in University Enrollment Rate (#50), Population (#69), Land Area (#77).
What is Ecuador's Human Development Index?
Ecuador has an HDI of 0.777, ranking #88 globally. The HDI combines life expectancy, education, and income indicators.
How densely populated is Ecuador?
Ecuador has a population density of 72.4 people per km², ranking #133 globally.