Page last updated on June 22, 2014

Nationality:
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 71.9%, Montubio 7.4%, Afroecuadorian 7.2%, Amerindian 7%, white 6.1%, other 0.4% (2010 census)

Languages:
Spanish (Castillian) 93% (official), Quechua 4.1%, other indigenous 0.7%, foreign 2.2%
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) (2010 est.)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Demographic profile:
Ecuador's high poverty and income inequality most affect indigenous, mixed race, and rural populations. The government has increased its social spending to ameliorate these problems, but critics question the efficiency and implementation of its national development plan. Nevertheless, the conditional cash transfer program, which requires participants' children to attend school and have medical check-ups, has helped improve educational attainment and healthcare among poor children. Ecuador is stalled at above replacement level fertility and the population most likely will keep growing rather than stabilize.
An estimated 2 to 3 million Ecuadorians live abroad, but increased unemployment in key receiving countries - Spain, the United States, and Italy - is slowing emigration and increasing the likelihood of returnees to Ecuador. The first large-scale emigration of Ecuadorians occurred between 1980 and 2000, when an economic crisis drove Ecuadorians from southern provinces to New York City, where they had trade contacts. A second, nationwide wave of emigration in the late 1990s was caused by another economic downturn, political instability, and a currency crisis. Spain was the logical destination because of its shared language and the wide availability of low-skilled, informal jobs at a time when increased border surveillance made illegal migration to the US difficult. Ecuador has a small but growing immigrant population and is Latin America's top recipient of refugees; 98% are neighboring Colombians fleeing violence in their country.

Population:
15,654,411 (July 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Age structure:
0-14 years: 28.5% (male 2,275,448/female 2,184,706)
15-24 years: 18.6% (male 1,478,184/female 1,439,288)
25-54 years: 38.9% (male 2,968,757/female 3,124,938)
55-64 years: 7.1% (male 544,097/female 562,326)
65 years and over: 6.7% (male 514,549/female 562,118) (2014 est.)
population pyramid:

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 56.9 %
youth dependency ratio: 46.5 %
elderly dependency ratio: 10.5 %
potential support ratio: 9.6 (2014 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.7 years
male: 26 years
female: 27.3 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.37% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
18.87 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
5.04 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 67.5% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 2.13% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas - population:
Guayaquil 2.287 million; QUITO (capital) 1.622 million (2011)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
21.1
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2004 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
110 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 67
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 17.93 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 98
male: 21.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.36 years
country comparison to the world: 81
male: 73.4 years
female: 79.46 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.29 children born/woman (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
72.7% (2004)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
7.3% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 79
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
1.69 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
1.6 beds/1,000 population (2010)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 91.6% of population
rural: 75.2% of population
total: 86.4% of population
unimproved:
urban: 8.4% of population
rural: 24.8% of population
total: 13.6% of population (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 86.5% of population
rural: 75.9% of population
total: 83.1% of population
unimproved:
urban: 13.5% of population
rural: 24.1% of population
total: 16.9% of population (2012 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
52,300 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,700 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2013)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
21.4% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 86
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
6.2% (2004)
country comparison to the world: 82
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
4.4% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 94
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.6%
male: 93.1%
female: 90.2% (2011 est.)

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 227,599
percentage: 8 % (2008 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 11.1%
country comparison to the world: 105
male: 9%
female: 15% (2011)