Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Ecuador at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
79%
of electricity
Food imported
12%
of merchandise imports · ~US$3,992m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Ecuador.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Ecuador, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingEnvironment
Plastic has reached half of Galápagos sea creatures sampled
Microplastics were found in 52% of marine invertebrates sampled on San Cristóbal, and plastic exposure has been recorded in 52 Galápagos species, 20 of them endemic. IUCN rates the islands' outlook as of significant concern.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Galápagos Islands · 2025
SoberingEnvironment
Record crowds on fragile islands
The Galápagos received a record 329,475 visitors in 2023, with a shift towards land based tourism straining infrastructure. The endemic Scalesia daisy tree forest on Santa Cruz now covers less than 1% of its original range.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Galápagos Islands · 2025
SoberingHealth
One in six young children is stunted
In 2024, 17.4% of Ecuadorian children under five were stunted, meaning too short for their age because of chronic undernutrition.
SoberingEnvironment
A sixth of the forest gone since 1990
Ecuador's forest area fell from about 146,300 km² in 1990 to about 123,400 km² in 2024, a loss of around 16%.
Source: World Bank, Forest area (sq. km): Ecuador · 2024
RemarkableNature
Home of the world's only marine iguana
The Galápagos Islands hold the only marine iguana in the world, and all 36 of their reptile species are endemic. About 180 of roughly 500 native plant species grow nowhere else.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Galápagos Islands · 2025
RemarkableCulture
A constitution that gives nature rights
Ecuador's 2008 constitution states that nature, or Pacha Mama, has the right to integral respect for its existence and for the regeneration of its life cycles. Any person or community can ask the authorities to enforce those rights.
RemarkableEnvironment
Four fifths of power from renewables
Renewable sources produced 80.9% of Ecuador's electricity in 2021.
The History of Ecuador.
Ecuador holds deep living Andean and Amazonian indigenous heritage. Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani peoples maintain ancestral knowledge, while Andean music such as the sanjuanito and the pasillo is still widely played on panpipes and the pingullo.
Where the name comes from
Spanish for 'equator', for the line that runs through the country. Source: national and regional toponymic records.
The land itself: a coastal plain, the inter-Andean sierra, and the Amazon lowland to the east. Its high point is Chimborazo, 6,263 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
Pottery, and shell traded across a continent
Coastal sites on the Santa Elena peninsula hold burials from 10,800 to 6,600 years ago, including the pair known as the Lovers of Sumpa. From around 3800 BC the Valdivia culture produced one of the earliest pottery traditions in the Americas, with small carved and modelled figures. Coastal communities traded spondylus shell inland and along the Pacific for thousands of kilometres, a network running long before any state controlled it.
How it got here
Inca late, and rights of nature
Manteno, Cañari and other peoples held the coast and highlands with rafts, metalwork and long-distance trade. Inca expansion reached Ecuador late, and Quito became a northern capital. Spanish colonisation from 1534 lasted nearly three centuries until independence at Pichincha in 1822. Observations in the Galapagos in 1835 fed into the theory of evolution by natural selection. In 2008 Ecuador became the first country in the world to write the rights of nature into its constitution.
The timeline
c. 10,000 to 6,600 years ago
Las Vegas.
On the Santa Elena peninsula, the Las Vegas people hunt, fish and gather along the coast, and begin growing plants such as bottle gourd and early maize before 8,000 years ago. Source
c. 5,000 years ago
Valdivia.
The Valdivia culture of the coast, one of the oldest in the Americas, makes some of the oldest pottery yet found on the Pacific coast, along with small figurines that some researchers read as female figures. Source
Before 1534
Inca expansion.
The Inca empire reaches its northernmost lands in Ecuador, building the royal centres of Tomebamba and Inca-Caranqui. Source
1534
Spanish rule.
The Spanish found Quito in 1534 on the ruins of an Inca city. It grows into a centre of the Baroque school of Quito, which blends Indigenous and European art. Source
1822
Independence at Pichincha.
On 24 May 1822 Antonio Jose de Sucre's patriot army defeats the royalists on the slopes of Pichincha, and the next day Sucre and his men enter Quito. Source
1835
Darwin at the Galapagos.
Observations in the islands feed into the theory of evolution by natural selection. Source
2008
Rights of nature.
Ecuador becomes the first country in the world to write the rights of nature into its constitution. Source
Nature and Biodiversity in Ecuador.
Terrestrial protected areas cover about 23.8% of land (World Bank, 2025), and Ecuador runs one of the world's most significant marine estates around the Galapagos, where the 133,000 square kilometre Galapagos Marine Reserve was enlarged in 2022 by the 60,000 square kilometre Hermandad Reserve. In August 2023 a national referendum voted to halt oil drilling in Block 43 inside Yasuni National Park. Mainland enforcement is weaker, with ongoing Amazon deforestation, oil activity and illegal gold mining.
Is wild Ecuador protected? 23.8% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Ecuador?
Forest cover49.5%
Terrestrial protected area23.8%
Marine protected area19.3%
2263 listed as threatened.
Found only here. Galapagos giant tortoise, marine iguana, flightless cormorant, Galapagos penguin and Darwin's finches
The watchlist
ThreatenedEcuadorian Capuchin (Cebus aequatorialis) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedWaved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedHawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (turtle).
ThreatenedHammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (shark or ray).
ThreatenedCentrolobium ochroxylum Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedMagnolia chiguila Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedMonopyle paniculata Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Ecuadorian Capuchin (Cebus aequatorialis)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Ecuador. GBIF holds 22 verified occurrence records.
Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Ecuador. GBIF holds 207 verified occurrence records.
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Ecuador. GBIF holds 31 verified occurrence records.
Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Ecuador. GBIF holds 68 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Ecuador filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
Listed and checked on Hold The Throne. Visiting it is the most direct way a visitor funds work on the ground in Ecuador.
Listed and checked on Hold The Throne. Visiting it is the most direct way a visitor funds work on the ground in Ecuador.
Water and Ocean in Ecuador.
Ecuador holds abundant freshwater from Andean paramo, glacial melt and heavy Amazon rainfall, so physical supply is secure rather than scarce. However, only about 70% of people use safely managed drinking water, though 92% have at least basic access (World Bank and WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024). Treatment and rural coverage gaps, not scarcity, are the weak point.
Does Ecuador have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
69.9% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Coverage is well short of universal, so a visitor should not assume the tap is safe.
Cleanest water: Andean paramo springs and Amazon headwater rivers
How much fresh water does Ecuador have, per person?
24,821 m³
Ecuador
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Ecuador withdraws about 9,916 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 6.8% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 81%, homes and towns 13%, industry 6%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Ecuador beaches?
✕Tap water: Not drinkable.
✓Plastic rules: Nationwide plastic bag charge since May 2020; plastic bags banned in the Galapagos.
✕Solo travel: rated take care on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 19.3% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Ingreso a Playa San Gregorio, Mirador San Jose Private Beach, Playa Escondida, Playa Guaymea, Playa La Unión, Playa Negra, Playa San Mateo, Playa de Súa. That is 13 named beaches in the public record for Ecuador, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
49.3%
of people have safely managed sanitation
49.3% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). The rest is what the rivers and the coast receive.
How is the sea around Ecuador doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Two seasons by altitude: dry Jun–Sep in the Andes; the Amazon is wet year-round.
Nearshore
Protected water
19.3% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Andean paramo springs and Amazon headwater rivers.
The record
Measured
Ecuador holds abundant freshwater from Andean paramo, glacial melt and heavy Amazon rainfall, so physical supply is secure rather than scarce. However, only about 70% of people use safely managed drinking water, though 92% have at least basic access (World Bank and WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024).
Ecuador scored 78 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, above the global average of 72, and ranked 34th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
19.3%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
2263
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Is the tap water safe in Ecuador?
69.9% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 24,821 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 1 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 6.8% of what Ecuador renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
When is the best time to visit Ecuador? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Ecuador actually have?
Nature renews about 24,821 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Ecuador 182 of 208 countries measured, placing it among the 30 best-watered countries measured. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Ecuador.
Ecuador is a major agricultural exporter and net food producer, leading the world in banana exports and shipping large volumes of cacao, shrimp, flowers and coffee. Food makes up only about 12% of merchandise imports (World Bank, 2024), and agriculture is around 9 to 10% of GDP. Staples such as plantain, rice, potatoes and maize are grown domestically.
Where does the food in Ecuador come from?
12.2% imported
about US$3,992m a year
On the plate: Plantain, yuca, potatoes, quinoa, maize, beans, rice and tropical fruit
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$3,992m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 12.2% of everything Ecuador buys in from abroad is food, roughly 1 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 9.7% of the economy and 20.3% of the land is agricultural, of which 4.1% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Ecuador? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined62.2%
Diabetes4.9%
There is no national count. At Hospital de Especialidades Abel Gilbert Pontón in Guayaquil, 147 patients admitted to the diabetic foot unit had an amputation between January and December 2014, according to a study published in Archivos Venezolanos de Farmacología y Terapéutica in 2019. Source: University of Cuenca research portal.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 66.8%.
Can Ecuador feed itself?
3.7%
Arable land
20.3%
Agricultural land
2,915,907
Farmers
2,540,239
Arable acres
9.7%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Bananas, cacao and coffee are harvested across the year; Andean grain and potato harvests fall mainly around June to August
Feeding itself
Ecuador is a major agricultural exporter and net food producer, leading the world in banana exports and shipping large volumes of cacao, shrimp, flowers and coffee. Food makes up only about 12% of merchandise imports (World Bank, 2024), and agriculture is around 9 to 10% of GDP.
Certification
Certified organic covers about 0.8% of Ecuador's farmland, roughly 41,500 hectares (FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture 2022, using 2020 data). The country has a strong organic export niche in banana and cacao, but the overall certified share stays low.
Water for crops
Ecuador holds abundant freshwater from Andean paramo, glacial melt and heavy Amazon rainfall, so physical supply is secure rather than scarce. However, only about 70% of people use safely managed drinking water, though 92% have at least basic access (World Bank and WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024).
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 20.3% of the country is agricultural land and 4.1% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
BananasSugarcaneOil palm fruitMaizeRicePlantainsPineapplesCocoa beans
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Ecuador are bananas, sugarcane, oil palm fruit, rice, maize and plantains and cooking bananas (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: in Otavalo, two hours north of Quito, the covered food market on Plaza 24 de Mayo sells produce, soups and cooked dishes, while the Plaza de Ponchos crafts market sells textiles, hammocks and weavings every day and is busiest on Saturday, with traders arriving from Friday afternoon. A livestock market runs early on Saturday morning from 5 to 10. Listed by Rough Guides; we have not checked these ourselves.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Kay Pacha, vegan restaurant in Quito: a daily vegan lunch of soup, main and small dessert; La Cuchara, vegan restaurant in Quito: fully vegan since 2018; Vegano De Altura, vegan restaurant in Quito: vegan takes on Ecuadorian dishes, plus ice cream, juices and cakes; YAMMI.vegg, vegan restaurant in Quito: Ecuadorian food on a daily changing menu; Prana Veggie, vegan restaurant in Quito: vegan and gluten free daily specials; Govinda Gopal, vegetarian restaurant in Quito's Old Town: a set lunch from Monday to Saturday. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Ecuador?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
PlantainYucaPotatoesQuinoaMaizeBeansRiceTropical fruit
Climate and Energy in Ecuador.
Ecuador draws the large majority of its electricity from hydropower, which supplied roughly three quarters of generation in recent years (about 79 per cent in 2021 and near 73 per cent in 2022) from stations such as Coca Codo Sinclair. Fossil CO2 emissions are low at about 2.5 tonnes per person in 2023. However crude oil remains the country's leading export, and severe droughts in 2023 and 2024 forced a heavy fall-back onto thermal plants and prolonged blackouts, exposing the grid's vulnerability. Climate commitments exist under its Paris pledge, but wider decarbonisation of transport and industry is limited.
What powers Ecuador?
Renewable 79.4%Fossil 20.6%
The power system is in state hands. CELEC EP, the state electricity corporation, is in charge of generating power for the country, and CNEL EP, a state holding company, receives that power and distributes 59 per cent of the electricity Ecuador consumes. The regulator is ARCONEL, the Electricity Regulation and Control Agency. Hydropower supplies about 78 per cent of generation, and drought in 2024 led to daily blackouts of up to 14 hours. By September 2025 CELEC was owed US$693 million, US$551 million of it by CNEL. In September 2026 the government changed the electricity regulations to simplify private renewable and transition projects of up to 100 MW and gave customers on high voltage tariffs 18 months to install their own generation.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
2.64 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
2.71 tonnes
The grid
Ecuador draws the large majority of its electricity from hydropower, which supplied roughly three quarters of generation in recent years (about 79 per cent in 2021 and near 73 per cent in 2022) from stations such as Coca Codo Sinclair. Fossil CO2 emissions are low at about 2.5 tonnes per person in 2023.
Pollution
Ecuador introduced a nationwide charge on plastic bags in May 2020 and the Galapagos ban plastic bags, but there is no full national single use plastic ban, and urban litter and waste collection remain weak. Ambient air is moderate, with a national mean PM2.5 of about 18.7 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2020), well above the WHO guideline.
Water stress
Ecuador holds abundant freshwater from Andean paramo, glacial melt and heavy Amazon rainfall, so physical supply is secure rather than scarce. However, only about 70% of people use safely managed drinking water, though 92% have at least basic access (World Bank and WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024).
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.28%
2Industry Amazon crude oil extraction in the Oriente and illegal gold mining; mangrove clearing shrimp farms.named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.18.7
4On the record Ecuador introduced a nationwide charge on plastic bags in May 2020 and the Galapagos ban plastic bags, but there is no full national single use plastic ban, and urban litter and waste collection remain weak.
What has Ecuador promised on climate?
Electricity renewable today80.9% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target23.8% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target19.3% by 2025
Measured on delivery, 80.9% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 19.1% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year2.64 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy3.55 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy2.58 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.45 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy2.1 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy1.77 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Ecuador emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. In May 2023 Credit Suisse bought back Ecuadorian government bonds with a face value of US$1.6 billion in a deal Reuters called the biggest debt for nature swap ever struck, freeing money for conservation in the Galapagos Islands. The government said the swap would cut its debt by US$1.1 billion and put US$450 million into protecting the islands. It was backed by a US$85 million guarantee from the Inter-American Development Bank and US$656 million of political risk insurance from the US International Development Finance Corporation. In December 2024 a second conversion refinanced about US$1.53 billion of Ecuador's international bonds to unlock about US$460 million for the Amazon Biocorridor Program, backed by a US$155 million IDB guarantee and US$1 billion of DFC insurance. The Nature Conservancy says this was the largest amount raised for conservation in any debt conversion.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · US International Trade Administration, Ecuador Country Commercial Guide: Electric Power and Renewable Energy (2 September 2025) · Primicias, Celec deuda CNEL (27 November 2025) · Vistazo, Noboa reforma el reglamento de la ley de energía (30 September 2026) · Reuters via Fiji Times, Ecuador frees cash for Galapagos conservation with $1.6 billion bond repurchase (6 May 2023) · Green Finance LAC (IDB), Ecuador announces world's largest debt for nature swap to protect Galapagos Islands (9 May 2023) · The Nature Conservancy, Ecuador announces debt conversion for Amazon conservation (15 December 2024)
AI and Data Centres in Ecuador.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Ecuador.
Data centres
15
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
79.4 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Ecuador?
A machine here runs mostly on renewables, but not entirely.
Renewable 79.4%Fossil 20.6%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 80.9% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Ecuador has 15 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Quito (9), Guayaquil (2), Manta (1), alongside 10 internet exchanges (NAP.EC - UIO, NAP.EC - GYE, IXP Ecuador, STD, IXP Ecuador, MEC). Named sites include Telconet Cloudcenter Guayaquil, Telconet Cloudcenter Quito, Edificio Transeletric, Edificio Transeletric Quito.
Where the cables land. 4 landing points · Ancon, Manta, Punta Carnero, Salinas
Economy and Tourism in Ecuador.
90% residents to 10% visitors across a year. 2,108,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 18,289,896 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Ecuador
2,108k
Visitors a year
0.1
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Ecuador?· for every $100 Ecuador earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2001 peak
$ 64The worst year on the IMF record. Ecuador owed $64 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2001signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 54What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2025).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2025signed, the creditors
For every $100 Ecuador earns in a year, it owes $54 (2025, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Ecuador?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 2,108,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 18,289,896 residents, one visitor a year for every 9 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Ecuador is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is only 12.2% of everything Ecuador imports (2024, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, bananas, sugarcane, oil palm fruit, maize, rice, plantains, pineapples, cocoa beans, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown4
The power
80.9% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power stay inside Ecuador. This is not an economy where a visitor's money drains away, and the board is shorter for it.
most of it6
Pay the bank first
Ecuador owes $54 for every $100 it earns (2025, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$54 per $1007
No plan B
28.9% of everything Ecuador sells abroad is mineral fuels and oils (2023, UN Comtrade). One market moving takes the whole board with it.
28.9% one export8
Community chest
Tourism earns 3.1% of everything Ecuador makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
3.1% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Singapore a return economy seat is 3.55 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
3.55 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$138 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$138bnGDPUS$130.3bn
Agriculture, share of GDP9.7%
Visitors a year2,108,000
Visitors per resident0.1
Residents~18,289,896
Agriculture
Farming is 9.7% of the economy. Ecuador is a major agricultural exporter and net food producer, leading the world in banana exports and shipping large volumes of cacao, shrimp, flowers and coffee.
Natural materials
The weaving of the traditional toquilla straw hat, the genuine Panama hat, is a living craft inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2012 and still made in coastal communities such as Pile and Montecristi and in Cuenca. The Andean highlands keep a strong handloom tradition in wool and cotton, with Otavalo one of the best known craft markets in South America.
Energy
Ecuador draws the large majority of its electricity from hydropower, which supplied roughly three quarters of generation in recent years (about 79 per cent in 2021 and near 73 per cent in 2022) from stations such as Coca Codo Sinclair. Fossil CO2 emissions are low at about 2.5 tonnes per person in 2023.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Ecuador?
By rooms · company records and press.
Black Sheep Inn · ~8 roomsIndependentnot published
Mashpi Lodge · ~24 roomsIndependentnot published
Sacha Lodge · ~26 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20141,695k
20151,676k
20161,569k
20171,806k
20182,535k
20192,108k
International tourism receipts run at about US$0.70 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 3.1% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Ecuador, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking plantain, yuca, potatoes, quinoa, maize, beans, rice and tropical fruit over imported menus.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Cheap long distance buses link the mainland; fly to the Galapagos (Baltra or San Cristobal) and the Amazon; taxis and ride apps in cities
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
Ecuador packs the Galapagos, the Andes and the western Amazon into one small equatorial country, making it one of the world's 17 megadiverse nations.
Best time: Year round; highlands are driest June to September and the Galapagos has calm, warm seas December to May
Getting around
Cheap long distance buses link the mainland; fly to the Galapagos (Baltra or San Cristobal) and the Amazon; taxis and ride apps in cities
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate is plantain, yuca, potatoes, quinoa, maize, beans, rice and tropical fruit. Markets overflow with plantain, yuca, potatoes, quinoa, beans, maize and tropical fruit, so plant based eating is easy on ingredients.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
USD is the currency; cards in cities.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the big hotels
Black Sheep InnIndependent · 8 rooms
Mashpi LodgeIndependent · 24 rooms
Sacha LodgeIndependent · 26 rooms
None of the 3 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Ecuador.
How well is Ecuador actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Ecuador scores 45 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
What is daily life in Ecuador really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Cheap long distance buses link the mainland; fly to the Galapagos (Baltra or San Cristobal) and the Amazon; taxis and ride apps in cities
93.5%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 3.7% of GDP and 15.5% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 92.8% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2023 to 2025).
Made in Ecuador.
The weaving of the traditional toquilla straw hat, the genuine Panama hat, is a living craft inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2012 and still made in coastal communities such as Pile and Montecristi and in Cuenca. The Andean highlands keep a strong handloom tradition in wool and cotton, with Otavalo one of the best known craft markets in South America. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Ecuador actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Ecuador sells the world is mineral fuels and oils, 28.9% of all exports in 2023 (about US$8.98 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are fish and seafood at 24.2%, fruit and nuts at 13.2%, ores, slag and ash at 6.2%, pearls, gemstones and precious metals at 4.6%.
Sells now · 28.9% of exports
Mineral fuels and oils
Mineral fuels and oils is 28.9% of everything Ecuador sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$8.98 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 24.2% of exports
Fish and seafood
Fish and seafood is 24.2% of everything Ecuador sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$7.53 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 13.2% of exports
Fruit and nuts
Fruit and nuts is 13.2% of everything Ecuador sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$4.11 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 6.2% of exports
Ores, slag and ash
Ores, slag and ash is 6.2% of everything Ecuador sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$1.93 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 4.6% of exports
Pearls, gemstones and precious metals
Pearls, gemstones and precious metals is 4.6% of everything Ecuador sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$1.42 billion. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 10.0% of imports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Ecuador imported US$3.10 billion of machinery and mechanical appliances in 2023, 10.0% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 9.0% of imports
Vehicles
Ecuador imported US$2.79 billion of vehicles in 2023, 9.0% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 6.7% of imports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Ecuador imported US$2.07 billion of electrical machinery and electronics in 2023, 6.7% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 5.2% of imports
Animal feed residues
Ecuador imported US$1.61 billion of animal feed residues in 2023, 5.2% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Ecuador produces about US$130 billion a year, which is roughly US$7,125 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 9.7% of that, while food is 12.2% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in.
See the verified makersCulture in Ecuador.
19th centuryAll year, at dances, festivals and concerts
Pasillo music
The pasillo, or small step, is a sung poem of love, loss and homeland, usually played on guitars and the high requinto. It blends Indigenous music such as the yaravi with the waltz and the bolero. UNESCO inscribed it in 2021.
June, at the Inti Raymi
Andean panpipe
Rondador panpipes join guitars, violins, drums and conch horns as Imbabura communities dance at the Inti Raymi.
June, peaking at the solstice on 23 JuneInti Raymi solstice celebrationCommunities from the six cantons of Imbabura dance through the streets to thank the father sun, Inti, and hand over offerings of potatoes, guinea pig and hens.
More than 150 years ago1 to 6 JanuaryDiablada de Píllaro danceDevils in masks, guarichas and village bands take over the streets of Píllaro, in Tungurahua province, in dancing troupes. The festival is part of the intangible cultural heritage of Ecuador.
Does Ecuador protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Ecuador holds deep living Andean and Amazonian indigenous heritage. Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani peoples maintain ancestral knowledge, while Andean music such as the sanjuanito and the pasillo is still widely played on panpipes and the pingullo. Living ancestral and spiritual traditions endure, including the Inti Raymi solstice celebration and the ceremonial plant-medicine practice of Amazonian nations.
Who it belongs to. Ecuador has deeply rooted living indigenous cultures, including Kichwa, Waorani and Shuar communities, and its 2008 constitution enshrined the rights of nature (Pachamama). Community and eco tourism are well established, from Otavalo craft markets to Amazon Kichwa lodges, and the 2023 Yasuni referendum showed strong public backing for indigenous and environmental protection. Andean festivals and highland markets remain part of everyday life.
Only here. The Galapagos marine iguana, the only sea going lizard on Earth, found nowhere else.
The Future of Ecuador.
Three futures for Ecuador, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named craft workshops on the open map: Almacén de Lanas, Arte Y Barro Shop, Artesalinas, Artesanías Maky Awashka, Casa útil Maderas, Espacio artístico cultural.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 51.2% to 49.7% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 61.2% to 80.9% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 1.79 t to 2.64 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 440k to 2,108k across 24 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 25.6% to 23.8% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 26% to 32.5% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 13% to 19.3% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 29.3% to 20.3% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 58.2% to 63.4% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 39.6 µg/m³ to 18.6 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 38,169 m³ to 24,821 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 46.8% to 66.8% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 89.8% to 98.5% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 2,108 to 7,125 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 11,591k to 18,290k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 20.4% to 18.9% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 679 kg to 927 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 15.4% to 20.2% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 71.3 yrs to 77.6 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 1,984 kg/ha to 4,007 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 64.2 kg/ha to 264 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 41.8% to 36.6% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 5.36 $/m3 to 11 $/m3 across 22 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 3.57% to 7.56% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 141,814 km2 to 123,103 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 546 kWh to 1,639 kWh across 29 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 12.69 to 11.76 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 2.0 to 3.55 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 1.61 to 8.32 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 21.84 to 54.94 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 1.12 to 4.16 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 2.44 to 3.62 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, organic farming at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift organic farming
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Ecuador's record. Certified organic covers about 0.8% of Ecuador's farmland, roughly 41,500 hectares (FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture 2022, using 2020 data). The country has a strong organic export niche in banana and cacao, but the overall certified share stays low.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift pollution
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Ecuador's record. Ecuador introduced a nationwide charge on plastic bags in May 2020 and the Galapagos ban plastic bags, but there is no full national single use plastic ban, and urban litter and waste collection remain weak.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift recycling
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Ecuador's record. Formal municipal recycling in Ecuador is limited, and much material recovery is carried out informally by waste pickers rather than through kerbside collection. Coverage varies widely between cities and rural areas.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Ecuador.
Who is in charge of Ecuador now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Daniel Noboa
President
Daniel Noboa is the head of government of Ecuador, in office since 23 November 2023. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 56.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 57.5 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 33.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 32.4 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 54.4 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 55.3 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 41.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 42.0 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 43.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 44.8 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Daniel NoboaPresident
National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)Legislature, unicameral
Last election9 February 2025
Constitution2008, as revised to 2021
Government typepresidential republic
Ecuador national goals: what has been pledged, and how far it has got · each pledge measured against this country's own recorded delivery
2030
30% of land protected
! closeTarget 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 parties in December 2022. Ecuador currently protects 23.8% of its land, which is 79% of the way to the pledge. Source
2030
30% of sea protected
! behindThe marine half of the same 30x30 pledge. Ecuador currently protects 19.3% of its territorial waters, which is 64% of the way there. Source
2030
Paris Agreement pledge
on recordEcuador has a Nationally Determined Contribution lodged with the UNFCCC. The registry holds the current text, its target year and the sectors it covers. Source
Plastic policy
in forceNationwide plastic bag charge since May 2020; plastic bags banned in the Galapagos.
Grid, as it stands
72% renewableRecorded renewable share of electricity output, the number every energy pledge is measured against. Source
Plain Answers About Ecuador.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Ecuador sustainable?
Ecuador scores 70 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Ecuador packs the Galapagos, the Andes and the western Amazon into one small equatorial country, making it one of the world's 17 megadiverse nations.
Is the water in Ecuador safe and plentiful?
Ecuador holds abundant freshwater from Andean paramo, glacial melt and heavy Amazon rainfall, so physical supply is secure rather than scarce. However, only about 70% of people use safely managed drinking water, though 92% have at least basic access (World Bank and WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024). Treatment and rural coverage gaps, not scarcity, are the weak point.
Can Ecuador feed itself?
Ecuador is a major agricultural exporter and net food producer, leading the world in banana exports and shipping large volumes of cacao, shrimp, flowers and coffee. Food makes up only about 12% of merchandise imports (World Bank, 2024), and agriculture is around 9 to 10% of GDP. Staples such as plantain, rice, potatoes and maize are grown domestically.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Ecuador?
Markets overflow with plantain, yuca, potatoes, quinoa, beans, maize and tropical fruit, so plant based eating is easy on ingredients. Vegetarian and vegan restaurants are common in Quito, Cuenca and Banos, and the Andean tradition of quinoa, tubers and legumes runs deep. Traditional coast and highland dishes still lean heavily on pork, chicken and seafood.
How much of Ecuador is actually protected?
Terrestrial protected areas cover about 23.8% of land (World Bank, 2025), and Ecuador runs one of the world's most significant marine estates around the Galapagos, where the 133,000 square kilometre Galapagos Marine Reserve was enlarged in 2022 by the 60,000 square kilometre Hermandad Reserve. In August 2023 a national referendum voted to halt oil drilling in Block 43 inside Yasuni National Park. Mainland enforcement is weaker, with ongoing Amazon deforestation, oil activity and illegal gold mining.
What wildlife is left in Ecuador?
Ecuador is one of the 17 megadiverse countries, with roughly 1,600 bird species and extraordinary endemism. The Galapagos alone hold species found nowhere else, including the giant tortoise, the marine iguana and Darwin's finches, while Yasuni National Park is described as arguably the most biodiverse place on Earth. Amphibian endemism in the Andes is the highest in the world, and 45% of Ecuador's 635 amphibian species are found nowhere else.
Is Ecuador on clean energy?
Ecuador draws the large majority of its electricity from hydropower, which supplied roughly three quarters of generation in recent years (about 79 per cent in 2021 and near 73 per cent in 2022) from stations such as Coca Codo Sinclair. Fossil CO2 emissions are low at about 2.5 tonnes per person in 2023. However crude oil remains the country's leading export, and severe droughts in 2023 and 2024 forced a heavy fall-back onto thermal plants and prolonged blackouts, exposing the grid's vulnerability.
How polluted is Ecuador?
Ecuador introduced a nationwide charge on plastic bags in May 2020 and the Galapagos ban plastic bags, but there is no full national single use plastic ban, and urban litter and waste collection remain weak. Ambient air is moderate, with a national mean PM2.5 of about 18.7 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2020), well above the WHO guideline. The Amazon Oriente also carries a heavy legacy of oil related contamination.
Does recycling work in Ecuador?
Formal municipal recycling in Ecuador is limited, and much material recovery is carried out informally by waste pickers rather than through kerbside collection. Coverage varies widely between cities and rural areas.
Is the farming in Ecuador organic?
Certified organic covers about 0.8% of Ecuador's farmland, roughly 41,500 hectares (FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture 2022, using 2020 data). The country has a strong organic export niche in banana and cacao, but the overall certified share stays low.
Are there natural materials and craft in Ecuador?
The weaving of the traditional toquilla straw hat, the genuine Panama hat, is a living craft inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2012 and still made in coastal communities such as Pile and Montecristi and in Cuenca. The Andean highlands keep a strong handloom tradition in wool and cotton, with Otavalo one of the best known craft markets in South America.
Is there living culture in Ecuador?
Ecuador has deeply rooted living indigenous cultures, including Kichwa, Waorani and Shuar communities, and its 2008 constitution enshrined the rights of nature (Pachamama). Community and eco tourism are well established, from Otavalo craft markets to Amazon Kichwa lodges, and the 2023 Yasuni referendum showed strong public backing for indigenous and environmental protection. Andean festivals and highland markets remain part of everyday life.
What heritage does Ecuador keep alive?
Ecuador holds deep living Andean and Amazonian indigenous heritage. Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani peoples maintain ancestral knowledge, while Andean music such as the sanjuanito and the pasillo is still widely played on panpipes and the pingullo. Living ancestral and spiritual traditions endure, including the Inti Raymi solstice celebration and the ceremonial plant-medicine practice of Amazonian nations.
So is Ecuador actually green? The measured answer
What is working: renewable electricity at 80.9%.
What is not: the gaps are narrower here than in most of the directory, and each remaining one is named below.
How Ecuador Ranks, region and world.
Where Ecuador sits on the Eco Index, against its South America neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Ecuador compare in South America?
1Brazil73
2Peru72
3Colombia70
5Chile67
Scored South America destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Ecuador sits 19 of 77 at 70/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Ecuador particularly good at?
✓ Wildlife, scored 5/5. Ecuador is one of the 17 megadiverse countries, with roughly 1,600 bird species and extraordinary endemism. The Galapagos alone hold species found nowhere else, including the giant tortoise, the marine iguana and Darwin's finches, while Yasuni National Park is described as arguably the most biodiverse place on Earth. Amphibian endemism in the Andes is the highest in the world, and 45% of Ecuador's 635 amphibian species are found nowhere else.
✓ Culture, scored 5/5. Ecuador has deeply rooted living indigenous cultures, including Kichwa, Waorani and Shuar communities, and its 2008 constitution enshrined the rights of nature (Pachamama). Community and eco tourism are well established, from Otavalo craft markets to Amazon Kichwa lodges, and the 2023 Yasuni referendum showed strong public backing for indigenous and environmental protection. Andean festivals and highland markets remain part of everyday life.
✓ Heritage, scored 5/5. Ecuador holds deep living Andean and Amazonian indigenous heritage. Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani peoples maintain ancestral knowledge, while Andean music such as the sanjuanito and the pasillo is still widely played on panpipes and the pingullo. Living ancestral and spiritual traditions endure, including the Inti Raymi solstice celebration and the ceremonial plant-medicine practice of Amazonian nations. The town of Otavalo remains a renowned centre of indigenous weaving culture.
Where does Ecuador score worst?
✕ Organic farming, scored 1/5. Certified organic covers about 0.8% of Ecuador's farmland, roughly 41,500 hectares (FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture 2022, using 2020 data). The country has a strong organic export niche in banana and cacao, but the overall certified share stays low.
✕ Pollution, scored 2/5. Ecuador introduced a nationwide charge on plastic bags in May 2020 and the Galapagos ban plastic bags, but there is no full national single use plastic ban, and urban litter and waste collection remain weak. Ambient air is moderate, with a national mean PM2.5 of about 18.7 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2020), well above the WHO guideline. The Amazon Oriente also carries a heavy legacy of oil related contamination.
✕ Recycling, scored 2/5. Formal municipal recycling in Ecuador is limited, and much material recovery is carried out informally by waste pickers rather than through kerbside collection. Coverage varies widely between cities and rural areas.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Organic farming, 1/5
Certified organic covers about 0.8% of Ecuador's farmland, roughly 41,500 hectares (FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture 2022, using 2020 data). The country has a strong organic export niche in banana and cacao, but the overall certified share stays low.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Ecuador's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Pollution, 2/5
Ecuador introduced a nationwide charge on plastic bags in May 2020 and the Galapagos ban plastic bags, but there is no full national single use plastic ban, and urban litter and waste collection remain weak.
Recycling, 2/5
Formal municipal recycling in Ecuador is limited, and much material recovery is carried out informally by waste pickers rather than through kerbside collection. Coverage varies widely between cities and rural areas.
The Ecuador Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Ecuador, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Ecuador
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
49.7
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
23.8
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
19.3
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
80.9
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
2.6t
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
2263
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
33.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
51.7 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
41.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
54.4 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
56.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
45.5 / 100 · 65 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 65 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
50.2 / 100 · 52 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 52 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
52.9 / 100 · 54 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 54 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
37.5 / 100 · 87 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 87 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
64.4 / 100 · 73 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 73 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
49.4 / 100 · 18 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 18 of 111 countries assessed.
How Ecuador Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 88 sources across 38 institutions
World Bank18 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 (49.5%) check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2023 (23.5%) check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2024 (19.3%) check
- Food imports (% of merchandise imports) TM.VAL.FOOD.ZS.UN, 2024 (12.2%) check
- PM2.5 air pollution mean annual exposure EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, 2020 (18.7 micrograms per cubic metre) check
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2024 (9.2%) check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2019 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, 2024 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Safely managed sanitation (% of population) SH.STA.SMSS.ZS, 2024 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
GBIF occurrence search15 FIGURES
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (mammal). check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves corroboration check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves corroboration check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, order Testudines, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (turtle). check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, order Testudines corroboration check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, order Testudines corroboration check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Elasmobranchii, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (shark or ray). check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Elasmobranchii corroboration check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Elasmobranchii corroboration check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, kingdom Plantae, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Ecuador in GBIF occurrence data (plant). check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, kingdom Plantae corroboration check
- Ecuador, IUCN category Critically Endangered, kingdom Plantae corroboration check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics4 FIGURES
- public data API, indicator XGDP.FSGOV (government expenditure on education as % of GDP), Ecuador, Public spending on education runs at 3.7% of GDP and 15.5% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment check
- public data API, indicator XGDP.FSGOV (government expenditure on education as % of GDP), Ecuador corroboration check
- public data API, indicator XGDP.FSGOV (government expenditure on education as % of GDP), Ecuador corroboration check
- public data API, indicator XGDP.FSGOV (government expenditure on education as % of GDP), Ecuador corroboration check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Ecuador, 2025 (25.9%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Ecuador, 2025 (50.7%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Ecuador, 2025 (26.9%), country-reported check
Corte Constitucional del Ecuador / CEDEC (2023)3 FIGURES
- Guia de jurisprudencia constitucional: Derechos de la naturaleza, e-ISBN 978-9942-8887-7-8, In 2008 Ecuador became the first country in the world to write the rights of nature into its constitution. check
- Guia de jurisprudencia constitucional: Derechos de la naturaleza, e-ISBN 978-9942-8887-7-8 corroboration check
- Guia de jurisprudencia constitucional: Derechos de la naturaleza, e-ISBN 978-9942-8887-7-8 corroboration check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Ecuador, 2025 (49.6%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Ecuador, 2025 (46.8%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Ecuador, 2025 (25.8%), country-reported check
IUCN (2012)3 FIGURES
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, Version 3.1, Second edition, Section IV The Categories, Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Ecuador. check
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, Version 3.1, Second edition, Section IV The Categories corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, Version 3.1, Second edition, Section IV The Categories corroboration check
Servicio de Rentas Internas (SRI)3 FIGURES
Bass MS et al. (2010)2 FIGURES
- Global Conservation Significance of Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, PLoS ONE 5(1): e8767, The Galapagos alone hold species found nowhere else, including the giant tortoise, the marine iguana and Darwi check
- Global Conservation Significance of Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, PLoS ONE 5(1): e8767 corroboration check
FAO2 FIGURES
Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador2 FIGURES
- Ecuador Travel: Sombrero de paja toquilla, una prenda patrimonial de sello ecuatoriano, The weaving of the traditional toquilla straw hat, the genuine Panama hat, is a living craft inscribed on the check
- Ecuador Travel: Sombrero de paja toquilla, una prenda patrimonial de sello ecuatoriano corroboration check
UNEP-WCMC2 FIGURES
UNESCO2 FIGURES
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme2 FIGURES
CBD1 FIGURE
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Ecuador 2008 (rev. 2021) check
Convention on Biological Diversity1 FIGURE
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 3 corroboration check
Ecuador Travel1 FIGURE
- official tourism site linked to the Ministry of Tourism check
FiBL1 FIGURE
- The World of Organic Agriculture, organic farmland statistics check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Ecuador, 2023 (16.7%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Ecuador elections and chambers check
ILGA World1 FIGURE
- State-Sponsored Homophobia / Database check
INEC1 FIGURE
- Ecuador, national statistical authority check
Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural1 FIGURE
- Ecuador, national heritage and antiquities authority check
Least Concern1 FIGURE
- assessed 2014, still Least Concern in Red List version 2026-1 check
Low Carbon Power1 FIGURE
- Ecuador electricity generation mix. check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- Ecuador CO2 country profile (Global Carbon Project). check
Our World in Data / Ember1 FIGURE
- Share of electricity produced from renewables, 2024 (72.4%) check
U.S. Energy Information Administration1 FIGURE
- Ecuador hydroelectric power, 2024. check
UN Environment Programme1 FIGURE
- national plastic-bag legislation check
UN Harmony with Nature1 FIGURE
- rights of nature law database check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UNEP Global E-waste Monitor1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, electronic waste recycled (%) EN_EWT_RCYR, Ecuador, 2015 (295.7%), country-reported check
UNEP-WCMC and IUCN1 FIGURE
- Protected Planet (WDPA) check
UNESCO World Heritage Centre1 FIGURE
- Galapagos Islands, Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, Criterion x corroboration check
UNFCCC1 FIGURE
- NDC Registry check
World Bank / IUCN Red List1 FIGURE
- threatened species (Ecuador, 2022): higher plants 2,029, fish 99, birds 86, mammals 49 (sum 2,263; reptiles and amphibians not in these series, so the true IUCN total is higher) check
World Bank and WHO/UNICEF JMP1 FIGURE
- People using safely managed drinking water SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2024 (69.9%; at least basic 92.1%) check