Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Ecuador 6.2 times
Ecuador: 256,370 km² (2024) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ecuador’s coastline is 5 times as long as the Netherlands’
Ecuador: 2,237 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ecuador’s highest peak towers 5,405 m above the Netherlands’
Ecuador: 6,267 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of the Netherlands, versus 20% of Ecuador
Ecuador: 20.3% (2024) · Netherlands: 53.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ecuador has 1% more people than the Netherlands
Ecuador: 18.3 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 7.3 times as densely populated as Ecuador
Ecuador: 74 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 16.5 cm taller than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 167.3 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 15.1 cm taller than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 155.3 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 13 years older than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 28.4 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ecuador have 0.4 more children on average than in the Netherlands
Ecuador: 1.81 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 8.6% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Netherlands hosts 11 times as many refugees per resident as Ecuador
Ecuador: 1.4 per 1,000 (2025) · Netherlands: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ecuador none
Ecuador: 0 (2026) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ecuador and the Netherlands are practically level
Ecuador: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 10 times the size of Ecuador’s
Ecuador: $130 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 5.2 times as much per person as Ecuador
Ecuador: Int$16,757 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ecuador than in the Netherlands (Gini 20.2 points higher)
Ecuador: 45.9 (2025) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
3.4% of people in Ecuador live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in the Netherlands
Ecuador: 3.4% (2025) · Netherlands: 0.1% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 3.3% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 3.3% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands and Ecuador are practically level
Ecuador: 2.1% (2025) · Netherlands: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Netherlands’ central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, Ecuador’s 13%
Ecuador: 13.1% (2022) · Netherlands: 25.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 2× Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 43% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 13 times as much on health per person as Ecuador
Ecuador: $509 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 4.4 years longer than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 77.6 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ecuador is 3.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands
Ecuador: 10.9 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 68% more doctors per person than Ecuador
Ecuador: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The Netherlands has 83% more hospital beds per person than Ecuador
Ecuador: 1.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Netherlands is 75% higher than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 5.5 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Ecuador are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands
Ecuador: 28.7% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 10% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 10.1% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 1.08 points higher than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 6.14 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 2.7 times as much alcohol as in Ecuador
Ecuador: 3.2 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 27% more meat per person than Ecuador
Ecuador: 56.2 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 846 kcal more food per person per day than Ecuador
Ecuador: 2,621 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ecuador put in 155 more hours a year than in the Netherlands
Ecuador: 1,594 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 3.7 years longer than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 9 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ecuador: no data · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
The Netherlands has 8 more World Heritage sites than Ecuador (13 against 5)
Ecuador: 5 (2026) · Netherlands: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Netherlands has won 524 Olympic medals, Ecuador 10
Ecuador: 10 (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 524 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 77% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 77% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the Netherlands is 12% faster than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 290 Mbps (2026) · Netherlands: 324 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 99% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 98.5% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 63% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 63% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ecuador 102
Ecuador: 102 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 3.2 times as long as Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 965 km (2022) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 9.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ecuador
Ecuador: 0.25 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Ecuador, but only 11% of the Netherlands
Ecuador: 49.7% (2024) · Netherlands: 11% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 2.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ecuador
Ecuador: 2.5 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
79% of Ecuador’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands
Ecuador: 79.4% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ecuador carries 84% more fine dust than in the Netherlands
Ecuador: 17.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 66 times as likely to be murdered in Ecuador as in the Netherlands
Ecuador: 45.7 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ecuador are 6 times as deadly as in the Netherlands
Ecuador: 30.8 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ecuador is on average 10.0 °C warmer than the Netherlands
Ecuador: 21.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ecuador gets 3.6 times as much rain as the Netherlands
Ecuador: 3,204 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Ecuador bigger than the Netherlands?
Ecuador is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Ecuador 6.2 times.
Which has more people, Ecuador or the Netherlands?
Ecuador has 1% more people than the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ecuador or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 4.4 years longer than in Ecuador. Life expectancy at birth is 77.6 years in Ecuador and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Ecuador or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 16.5 cm taller than in Ecuador (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
