Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ecuador fits inside Colombia 4.4 times
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2024) · Ecuador: 256,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Colombia’s coastline is 43% longer than Ecuador’s
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Ecuador: 2,237 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ecuador’s highest peak towers 537 m above Colombia’s
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Ecuador: 6,267 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 37% of Colombia, versus 20% of Ecuador
Colombia: 36.5% (2024) · Ecuador: 20.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Colombia has 2.9 times as many people as Ecuador
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Ecuador: 18.3 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ecuador is 53% more densely populated than Colombia
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Ecuador: 74 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Colombia are 4.5 cm taller than in Ecuador
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Ecuador: 167.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Colombia are 2.7 cm taller than in Ecuador
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Ecuador: 155.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Colombia is 3.2 years older than in Ecuador
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Ecuador: 28.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ecuador have 0.2 more children on average than in Colombia
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Ecuador: 1.81 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Colombia are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Ecuador
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Ecuador: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ecuador hosts 53 times as many refugees per resident as Colombia
Colombia: 0.027 per 1,000 (2025) · Ecuador: 1.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Colombia has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ecuador none
Colombia: 0.4 (2026) · Ecuador: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Colombia and Ecuador are practically level
Colombia: 1 (2026) · Ecuador: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Colombia’s economy is 3.5 times the size of Ecuador’s
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Ecuador: $130 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Colombia produces 35% more per person than Ecuador
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Ecuador: Int$16,757 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Ecuador (Gini 8.5 points higher)
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Ecuador: 45.9 (2025)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
8.5% of people in Colombia live on less than $3 a day, versus 3.4% in Ecuador
Colombia: 8.5% (2024) · Ecuador: 3.4% (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 3.3% in Ecuador
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Ecuador: 3.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.2% of its GDP on the military, Ecuador 2.1%
Colombia: 3.2% (2025) · Ecuador: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Colombia’s central government collects 15% of GDP in tax, Ecuador’s 13%
Colombia: 15.2% (2024) · Ecuador: 13.1% (2022)
How expensive is it?
Ecuador’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Colombia’s
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Ecuador: 43% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Colombia spends 26% more on health per person than Ecuador
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Ecuador: $509 (2023)
How long do people live?
Colombia and Ecuador are practically level
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Ecuador: 77.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ecuador is 4% more likely to die before turning one than in Colombia
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Ecuador: 10.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Colombia has 10% more doctors per person than Ecuador
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Ecuador: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How many hospital beds are there?
Colombia has 29% more hospital beds per person than Ecuador
Colombia: 1.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Ecuador: 1.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Colombia is 24% higher than in Ecuador
Colombia: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Ecuador: 5.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Ecuador are obese, versus 25% in Colombia
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Ecuador: 28.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
10% of adults in Ecuador smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Ecuador: 10.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ecuador rate their lives 0.10 points higher than in Colombia
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Ecuador: 6.14 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Colombia drink 52% more alcohol than in Ecuador
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Ecuador: 3.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Colombia has 11% more meat per person than Ecuador
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Ecuador: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia has 505 kcal more food per person per day than Ecuador
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Ecuador: 2,621 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 877 more hours a year than in Ecuador
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Ecuador: 1,594 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Colombia went to school 0.06 years longer than in Ecuador
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Ecuador: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Ecuador: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Colombia has 4 more World Heritage sites than Ecuador (9 against 5)
Colombia: 9 (2026) · Ecuador: 5 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Colombia has won 38 Olympic medals, Ecuador 10
Colombia: 38 (2026 edition) · Ecuador: 10 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
79% of people in Colombia are online, versus 77% in Ecuador
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Ecuador: 77% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Ecuador is 18% faster than in Colombia
Colombia: 246 Mbps (2026) · Ecuador: 290 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Colombia and Ecuador are practically level
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Ecuador: 98.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Colombia live in cities, versus 63% in Ecuador
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Ecuador: 63% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ecuador 102
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Ecuador: 102 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Colombia’s railway network is 2.2 times as long as Ecuador’s
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Ecuador: 965 km (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Colombia fly 3.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ecuador
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Ecuador: 0.25 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of Colombia, but only 50% of Ecuador
Colombia: 53.7% (2024) · Ecuador: 49.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ecuador emits 45% more CO₂ than someone in Colombia
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Ecuador: 2.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
79% of Ecuador’s electricity is renewable, versus 77% in Colombia
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Ecuador: 79.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ecuador carries 17% more fine dust than in Colombia
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Ecuador: 17.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 84% more likely to be murdered in Ecuador than in Colombia
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Ecuador: 45.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ecuador are 15% deadlier than in Colombia
Colombia: 26.7 per 100k (2023) · Ecuador: 30.8 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 3.1 °C warmer than Ecuador
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ecuador: 21.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ecuador gets 2% more rain than Colombia
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ecuador: 3,204 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than Ecuador?
Colombia is larger. Ecuador fits inside Colombia 4.4 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or Ecuador?
Colombia has 2.9 times as many people as Ecuador (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Ecuador?
Colombia and Ecuador are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 77.6 in Ecuador.
Are people taller in Colombia or Ecuador?
Men in Colombia are 4.5 cm taller than in Ecuador (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
