Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Ecuador: population and ages

Ecuador: 18.4 million people on 1 January 2026.

The UN projects growth until 2063, to a peak of 21.7 million, and a decline after that.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
18,366,994
Median age
29.7
Births in 2026
267,031
Deaths in 2026
98,155
Life expectancy at birth
77.9
Children per woman
1.78
Under 15
23.6%
65 and over
8.7%
Population pyramid, Ecuador, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+0100K100K200K200K
Population pyramid, Ecuador, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 3.52 million people, so the population is now 5.2 times as large.

The UN projects 267,000 births and 98,200 deaths in 2026, 169,000 more births than deaths.

The UN projects the first year with more deaths than births in 2064.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 202405M10M15M20M25M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Ecuador: 18.4M

Ages

The median age is 29.7, which is 1.4 years below the world’s 31.1.

24% of the people are under 15 and 8.7% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

The UN projects that people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 15 from 2051.

Women have 1.8 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 6.7 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years, above the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 48.4.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 202402040601950197520002025205020752100EcuadorWorld
2026 Ecuador: 30World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 21.3 million people, 16% more than now, with a median age of 39.5.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 20240100K200K300K400K1950197520002025205020752100DeathsBirths
2026 Births: 267KDeaths: 98.2K

Compare Ecuador with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 55% of the people lived in cities, 24% in towns and semi-dense areas and 22% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 58% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet77.2%2024
Access to electricity98.5%2024
Adult literacy (ages 15 and over)93.5%2024
92.1%2024
91.2%2024
95.0%2024
Human Development Index0.7772023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 77.4 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 20.1 more years for women and 17.3 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 12.9 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 25.8.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 19.1 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 11.1 million to 28.2 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 748,000 international migrants lived here, 4.1% of the population.

In mid-2024, 1.24 million people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Venezuela487,871
Colombia159,966
Spain21,320
Peru14,275
United States13,588
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
United States561,895
Spain432,111
Italy76,883
Chile46,245
Venezuela33,255

Counted by country of birth. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 32.

CityPopulation 2025
Guayaquil3,157,825
Quito2,534,914
Cuenca482,272
Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas356,829
Manta287,756
Ambato274,672
Machala260,690
Salinas [Santa Elena]260,161
Portoviejo228,823
Quevedo186,130

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Ecuador every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
19503,516,79119.0158,38969,61448.46.73
19604,590,89117.0200,66570,29853.46.72
19706,155,38716.6253,75270,23558.86.14
19808,165,87717.4287,40767,28463.34.73
199010,473,67319.2313,41260,49668.43.68
200012,689,20621.1325,41865,57972.13.10
201015,076,69523.8329,97972,57675.22.61
202017,546,06527.2287,589131,14672.01.97
203019,069,71931.5264,848106,64678.61.75
204020,434,22035.6250,496132,28880.31.71
205021,337,23739.5227,581161,52281.91.68
206021,719,86843.2209,697193,81783.41.67
207021,625,45245.9196,269226,86584.71.65
208021,074,01847.7180,435254,51485.91.65
209020,168,41149.1166,696267,08287.01.64
210019,092,15950.1156,313265,72188.01.65

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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