Ecuador — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Ecuador: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Ecuador is in Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru. It covers 283,561 sq km. Terrain: coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente). Climate: tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands.
| Capital | Quito |
|---|---|
| Population | 18,479,841 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $252.728 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $13,900 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -2% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 1.5% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 4.8% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 43.2% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $38.468 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $33.97 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 74.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 28.2 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 64.8% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 24 May 1822 (from Spain) |
| 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.) |
Ecuador’s GDP is $252.728 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $124.676 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew -2% (2024 est.). See where Ecuador ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Steadiness was the quarter's defining trait: no rupture, no windfall, no surprise strong enough to move the score.
The trajectory remains set by fundamentals that change over years, not quarters — and this quarter changed little.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 1.5%; a current-account surplus of $7 billion — the world pays it more than it pays out
Oil, Timber, Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | 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.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 35.7 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 230.7 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 33.0 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 12,722 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 69.7%, Oil 25.3%, Gas 3.1%, Wind 0.2%, Solar 0.1% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 71.7% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 209.7 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $38.468 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $33.97 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $4.5 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Daniel Noboa — President. President Daniel NOBOA Azin (since 23 November 2023)
Ecuador maintains 44 embassies and 25 consulates abroad, hosts 42 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, OAS Washington. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 44 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 25 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 42 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, OAS Washington |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, diplomatic & consular networks database, Mar 2026 report (of-country ranking) https://zenodo.org/records/18917562 ; Jan 2026 report (in-country ranking) https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 2237 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 317 + 28 heliports (registration prefix HC) |
| Major seaports | Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, Puerto Maritimo de Guayaquil |
| Railways | 965 km |
| Pipelines | 485 km extra heavy crude, 123 km gas, 2,131 km oil, 1,526 km refined products (2017) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Guayaquil (2,163,151 TEU, 2021) |
Major airports
Carlos Concha Torres International Airport (ESM) — Tachina; General Ulpiano Paez International Airport (SNC) — Salinas/La Libertad; José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (GYE) — Guayaquil; Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) — Quito; Coronel E Carvajal Airport (XMS) — Macas; Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX) — Latacunga; Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC) — Manta; Francisco De Orellana Airport (OCC) — Coca; Lieutenant Colonel Luis A. Mantilla International Airport (TUA) — Tulcán; Mariscal Lamar Airport (CUE) — Cuenca.
Showing 10 of 12 major airports.
Terminals
| River ports | Guayaquil (Guayas) |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Ecuador.
Historical timeline of Ecuador
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Ecuador — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Ecuador's power score?
Ecuador has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.