Statistical information Ecuador 2016

Ecuador in the World

Ecuador - Introduction 2016

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Background: What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito 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 in 1830 the traditional name was changed in favor of 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 marked 30 years of civilian governance in 2004 the period was marred by political instability. Protests in Quito contributed to the mid-term ouster of three of Ecuador's last four democratically elected presidents. In late 2008 voters approved a new constitution Ecuador's 20th since gaining independence. General elections were held in February 2013 and voters reelected President Rafael CORREA.

Ecuador - Geography 2016

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Location: Western South America bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator between Colombia and Peru

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S 77 30 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 283,561 km²
Land: 276,841 km²
Water: 6,720 km²
Note: includes Galapagos Islands
Rank: 74
Comparative: slightly smaller than Nevada

Land boundaries
Total: 2,237 km
Border countries: (2) Colombia 708 km; Peru 1529 km

Coastline: 2,237 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500-m isobath

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)

Elevation
Mean elevation: 1117 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m: highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m
Note: because the earth is not a perfect sphere and has an equatorial bulge the highest point on the planet farthest from its center is Mount Chimborazo not Mount Everest which is merely the highest peak above sea level

Natural resources: petroleum fish timber hydropower

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 29.7%

arable land: 4.7%
permanent crops: 5.6%
permanent pasture: 19.4%

Forest: 38.9%
Other: 31.4%

Irrigated land: 15,000 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes; landslides; volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts
Volcanism: volcanic activity concentrated along the Andes Mountains; Sangay which erupted in 2010 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 (elev. 1476 m) a shield volcano that last erupted in 2009 is the most active of the many Galapagos volcanoes; other historically active Galapagos volcanoes include Wolf Sierra Negra Cerro Azul Pinta Marchena and Santiago

Geography
Note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

Ecuador - People 2016

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Population
Distribution: nearly half of the population is concentrated in the interior in the Andean intermontane basins and valleys with large concentrations also found along the western coastal strip; the rainforests of the east remain sparsely populated: 16,080,778 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 68
Growth rate: 1.31% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 87
Below poverty line: 25.6% (December 2013 est)

Nationality
Noun: Ecuadorian
Adjective: Ecuadorian

Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 71.9% Montubio 7.4% Amerindian 7% white 6.1% Afroecuadorian 4.3% mulato 1.9% black 1% other 0.4% (2010 est.)

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

Religions: Roman Catholic 74% Evangelical 10.4% Jehovah's Witness 1.2% other 6.4% (includes Mormon Buddhist Jewish Spiritualist Muslim Hindu indigenous religions African American religions Pentecostal) atheist 7.9% agnostic 0.1%
Note: data represents persons at least 16 years of age from five Ecuadoran cities

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.

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 27.52%
15-24 years: 18.47%
25-54 years: 39.38%
55-64 years: 7.39%
65 years and over: 7.25% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 55.6%
Youth dependency ratio: 45.1%
Elderly dependency ratio: 10.4%
Potential support ratio: 9.6%

Median age
Total: 27.4 years
Male: 26.7 years
Female: 28.1 years
Rank: 142

Population growth rate: 1.31% (2016 est.)
Rank: 87

Birth rate: 18.2 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 97

Death rate: 5.1 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 187

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 80

Population distribution: nearly half of the population is concentrated in the interior in the Andean intermontane basins and valleys with large concentrations also found along the western coastal strip; the rainforests of the east remain sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 63.7% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: Guayaquil 2.709 million; QUITO (capital) 1.726 million (2015)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol Antarctic Treaty Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male/female
25-54 years: 0.95 male/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 16.9 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 19.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 13.7 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 99

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.8 years
Male: 73.8 years
Female: 79.9 years
Rank: 83

Total fertility rate: 2.22 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 96

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

urban: 93.4% of population
rural: 75.5% of population
total: 86.9% of population
urban: 6.6% of population
rural: 24.5% of population
total: 13.1% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.72 physicians/1000 population (2011)

Hospital bed density: 1.6 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

urban: 87% of population
rural: 80.7% of population
total: 84.7% of population
urban: 13% of population
rural: 19.3% of population
total: 15.3% of population (2015 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.29% (2015 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 80
People living with hivaids: 29,100 (2015 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 67
Deaths: 900 (2015 est.)
Deaths rank: 63

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country ; it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex via blood transfusion or during pregnancy in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 18% (2014)
Rank: 86

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 6.4% (2013)
Rank: 82

Education expenditures: 4.2% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 94

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 94.5%
Male: 95.4%
Female: 93.5%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 15 years

Youth unemployment

Ecuador - Government 2016

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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
Conventional short form: Ecuador
Local long form: Republica del Ecuador
Local short form: Ecuador
Etymology: the country's position on the globe straddling the Equator accounts for its Spanish name

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Quito
Geographic coordinates: 0 13 S 78 30 W
Time difference: UTC-5

Administrative divisions: 24 provinces (provincias singular - provincia); Azuay Bolivar Canar Carchi Chimborazo Cotopaxi El Oro Esmeraldas Galapagos Guayas Imbabura Loja Los Rios Manabi Morona-Santiago Napo Orellana Pastaza Pichincha Santa Elena Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas Sucumbios Tungurahua Zamora-Chinchipe

Dependent areas

Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day (independence of Quito) 10 August (1809)

Constitution: many previous; latest approved 20 October 2008; amended 2011; note - a 2015 constitutional amendment lifting presidential term limits becomes effective in 2021 (2016)

Legal system: civil law based on the Chilean civil code with modifications; traditional law in indigenous communities

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 3 years

Suffrage: 18-65 years of age universal and compulsory; 16-18 over 65 and other eligible voters voluntary

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Rafael CORREA Delgado ; Vice President Jorge GLAS Espinel (since 24 May 2013); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado ; Vice President Jorge GLAS Espinel (since 24 May 2013)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term ; election last held on 17 February 2013 (next to be held in 2017)
Election results: President Rafael CORREA Delgado reelected president; percent of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 57.2% Guillermo LASSO (CREO) 22.7% Lucio GUTIERREZ (PSP) 6.8% Mauricio RODAS (SUMA) 3.9% other 9.4%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional
Elections: last held on 17 February 2013
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAIS 100 CREO 11 PSC 6 AVANZA 5 MUPP 5 PSP 5 other 5; note - defections by members of National Assembly are commonplace resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties

Judicial branch
Highest court: National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia ; Constitutional Court or Corte Constitucional (consists of 9 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: justices of National Court of Justice elected by the Judiciary Council a 9-member independent body of law professionals; judges elected for 9-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the executive legislative and Citizen Participation branches of government; judges appointed for 9-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts: Fiscal Tribunal; Election Dispute Settlement Courts provincial courts ; cantonal courts

Political parties and leaders:

Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]
Socialist Party [Fabian SOLANO]
Society United for More Action or SUMA [Mauricio RODAS]
Warrior's Spirit Movement [Jaime NEBOT]

International organization participation: CAN CD CELAC FAO G-11 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAES LAIA Mercosur (associate) MIGA MINUSTAH NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW OPEC Pacific Alliance (observer) PCA SICA (observer) UN UNAMID UNASUR UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina UNISFA UNMIL UNMISS UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jose Francisco BORJA Cevallos
In the us chancery: 2,535 15th Street NW Washington DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] 234-7,200
In the us FAX: [1] 667-3,482
In the us consulate general: Atlanta Chicago Houston Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis New Haven New Orleans New York Newark (NJ) Phoenix San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Todd CHAPMAN
From the us embassy: Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro Quito
From the us mailing address: Avenida Guayacanes N52-205 y Avenida Avigiras
From the us telephone: [593] 398-5,000
From the us FAX: [593] 398-5,100
From the us consulate general: Guayaquil

Flag description

: three horizontal bands of yellow (top double width) blue and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; the flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia the South American republic that broke up in 1830; the yellow color represents sunshine grain and mineral wealth blue the sky sea and rivers and red the blood of patriots spilled in the struggle for freedom and justice
Note: similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms

National symbols: Andean condor; national colors: yellow blue red

National anthem
Name: 'Salve Oh Patria!'
Lyrics and music: Juan Leon MERA/Antonio NEUMANE
Note: adopted 1948; Juan Leon MERA wrote the lyrics in 1865; only the chorus and second verse are sung

National heritage

Ecuador - Economy 2016

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Economy overview:

Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources which have accounted for more than half of the country's export earnings and approximately 25% of public sector revenues in recent years.
In 1999/2000 Ecuador's economy suffered from a banking crisis with GDP contracting by 5.3% and poverty increasing significantly. In March 2000 the Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy and positive growth returned in the years that followed helped by high oil prices remittances and increased non-traditional exports. The economy grew an average of 4.3% per year from 2002 to 2006 the highest five-year average in 25 years. After moderate growth in 2007 the economy reached a growth rate of 6.4% in 2008 buoyed by high global petroleum prices and increased public sector investment. President Rafael CORREA Delgado who took office in January 2007 defaulted in December 2008 on Ecuador's sovereign debt which with a total face value of approximately US$3.2 billion represented about 30% of Ecuador's public external debt. In May 2009 Ecuador bought back 91% of its 'defaulted' bonds via an international reverse auction.
Economic policies under the CORREA administration - for example an announcement in late 2009 of its intention to terminate 13 bilateral investment treaties including one with the US - have generated economic uncertainty and discouraged private investment. China has become Ecuador's largest foreign lender since Quito defaulted in 2008 allowing the government to maintain a high rate of social spending; Ecuador contracted with the Chinese government for more than $9.9 billion in forward oil sales project financing and budget support loans as of December 2013.
The level of foreign investment in Ecuador continues to be one of the lowest in the region as a result of an unstable regulatory environment weak rule of law and the crowding-out effect of public investments. Faced with a 2013 trade deficit of $1.1 billion Ecuador erected technical barriers to trade in December 2013 causing tensions with its largest trading partners. Ecuador also decriminalized intellectual property rights violations in February 2014. In March 2015 Ecuador imposed tariff surcharges for 15 months from 5% to 45% on an estimated 32% of imports. In 2014 oil output increased slightly and production remained steady in 2015. In 2015 however lower oil prices forced CORREA to cut the budget twice and the government has considered further budget and subsidy cuts for 2016.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

$183.4 billion (2015 est.)
$183.3 billion (2014 est.)
$176.8 billion (2013 est.)

Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 66

Real gdp growth rate:

0% (2015 est.)
3.7% (2014 est.)
4.6% (2013 est.)

Rank: 189

Real gdp per capita:

$11,300 (2015 est.)
$11,400 (2014 est.)
$11,200 (2013 est.)

Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 128

Gross national saving:

25.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
28.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
27.8% of GDP (2013 est.)

Rank: 52

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 61%
Government consumption: 14.6%
Investment in fixed capital: 27%
Investment in inventories: 0.4%
Exports of goods and services: 21.1%
Imports of goods and services: -24.1%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6.1%
Industry: 34.1%
Services: 59.7%

Agriculture products: bananas coffee cocoa rice potatoes cassava (manioc tapioca) plantains sugarcane; cattle sheep pigs beef pork dairy products; fish shrimp; balsa wood

Industries: petroleum food processing textiles wood products chemicals

Industrial production growth rate: 0.3%
Note: excludes oil refining
Rank: 162

Labor force: 4.873 million (2015 est.)
Rank: 85
By occupation agriculture: 27.8%
By occupation industry: 17.8%
By occupation services: 54.4%

Labor force

Unemployment rate:

4.3% (2015 est.)
4.3% (2014 est.)

Rank: 41

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 25.6% (December 2013 est)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.4%
Highest 10: 35.4%
Note: data for urban households only

Distribution of family income gini index:

48.5 (December 2013)
50.5 (December 2010)

Note: data are for urban households
Rank: 23

Budget
Revenues: $33.59 billion
Expenditures: $38.68 billion
Surplus or deficit: -5.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 167

Taxes and other revenues: 34% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 65

Public debt:

30.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
27.7% of GDP (2014 est.)

Rank: 140

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

4% (2015 est.)
3.6% (2014 est.)

Rank: 155

Central bank discount rate:

8.17% (31 December 2011)
8.68% (31 December 2010)

Rank: 39

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.33% (31 December 2015 est.)
8.12% (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 100

Stock of narrow money:

$9.527 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$9.531 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 81

Stock of broad money:

$34.53 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$28.44 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 76

Stock of domestic credit:

$33.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$31.97 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 72

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$5.911 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
$5.779 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$5.263 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Rank: 83

Current account balance:

-$2.819 billion (2015 est.)
-$567 million (2014 est.)

Rank: 153

Exports:

$19.05 billion (2015 est.)
$26.6 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 69
Commodities: petroleum bananas cut flowers shrimp cacao coffee wood fish
Partners: US 39.5% Chile 6.2% Peru 5.1% Vietnam 4.3% Colombia 4.3% (2015)

Imports:

$20.7 billion (2015 est.)
$26.66 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 72
Commodities: industrial materials fuels and lubricants nondurable consumer goods
Partners: US 27.1% China 15.3% Colombia 8.3% Panama 4.9% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.496 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$3.949 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 111

Debt external:

$30.79 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$26.33 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 78

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:

$15.63 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$14.57 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 85

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:

$6.33 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
$6.33 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Rank: 67

Exchange rates: the US dollar became Ecuador's currency in 2001

Ecuador - Energy 2016

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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 500,000
Access electrification total population: 97%
Access electrification urban areas: 100%
Access electrification rural areas: 92%
Production: 23 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 74
Consumption: 21 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 71
Exports: 47 million kWh (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 90
Imports: 800 million kWh (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 86
Installed generating capacity: 6.3 million kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 75
Generation sources fossil fuels: 57.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 139
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 82
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 41.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 57
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 92

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 543,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 27
Crude oil exports: 378,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 23
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 183
Crude oil proven reserves: 8.832 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 19

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 207,300 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 52
Products consumption: 282,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 48
Products exports: 22,890 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 68
Products imports: 133,300 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 41

Natural gas
Production: 578 million m³ (2014 est.)
Production rank: 71
Consumption: 578 million m³ (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 97
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 91
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 190
Proven reserves: 10.99 billion m³ (1 January 2016 es)
Proven reserves rank: 89

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 38 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 71

Energy consumption per capita

Ecuador - Communication 2016

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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,512,657
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16
Fixed lines rank: 55
Mobile cellular total: 12.888 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 81
Mobile cellular rank: 65

Telephone system
General assessment: elementary fixed-line service but increasingly sophisticated mobile-cellular network
Domestic: fixed-line services provided by multiple telecommunications operators; fixed-line teledensity stands at about 15 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular use has surged and subscribership has reached 80 per 100 persons
International: country code - 593; landing points for the PAN-AM and South America-1 submarine cables that provide links to the west coast of South America Panama Colombia Venezuela and extending onward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2015)

Broadcast media: multiple TV networks and many local channels as well as more than 300 radio stations; many TV and radio stations are privately owned; the government owns or controls 5 national TV stations and multiple radio stations; broadcast media required by law to give the government free air time to broadcast programs produced by the state (2007)

Internet
Country code: .ec
Users total: 7.766 million
Users percent of population: 48.9%
Users rank: 59

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Ecuador - Military 2016

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Military expenditures:

2.83% of GDP (2012)
3.2% of GDP (2011)
2.83% of GDP (2010)

Rank: 24

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for selective conscript military service; conscription has been suspended; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; Air Force 18-22 years of age Ecuadorian birth requirement; 1-year service obligation (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups

Ecuador - Transportation 2016

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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 7
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 35
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 5,762,485
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 86,128,720 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: HC (2016)

Airports: 432 (2013)
Rank: 20
With paved runways total: 104
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 18
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 26
With paved runways under 914 m: 51
With unpaved runways total: 328
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 37
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 291

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines: extra heavy crude 527 km; gas 71 km; oil 2,131 km; refined products 1526 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 965 km
Narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge
Rank: 89

Roadways
Total: 43,670 km
Paved: 6,472 km
Unpaved: 37,198 km
Rank: 83

Waterways: 1500 km (most inaccessible) (2012)
Rank: 52

Merchant marine
Total: 44
By type: cargo 1 chemical tanker 4 liquefied gas 1 passenger 9 petroleum tanker 28 refrigerated cargo 1
Registered in other countries: 4 (2010)
Rank: 72

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Esmeraldas Manta Puerto Bolivar
River port: Guayaquil
Container port: Guayaquil (1,405,762)

Ecuador - Transnational issues 2016

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Disputes international: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 120,685 (Colombia) (2015)
IDPs: 28,775 (2016)

Illicit drugs: significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru with much of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents (2008)