The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ecuador is 5% bigger than the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 256,370 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 5.6 times as long as Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 2,237 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ecuador’s highest peak towers 4,922 m above the United Kingdom’s
Ecuador: 6,267 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 69% of the United Kingdom, versus 20% of Ecuador
Ecuador: 20.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 3.8 times as many people as Ecuador
Ecuador: 18.3 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 3.9 times as densely populated as Ecuador
Ecuador: 74 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 10.9 cm taller than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 167.3 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 8.7 cm taller than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 155.3 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 11 years older than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 28.4 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ecuador have 0.3 more children on average than in the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 1.81 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 8.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United Kingdom hosts 5.8 times as many refugees per resident as Ecuador
Ecuador: 1.4 per 1,000 (2025) · United Kingdom: 8.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ecuador none
Ecuador: 0 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ecuador and the United Kingdom are practically level
Ecuador: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 31 times the size of Ecuador’s
Ecuador: $130 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 3.9 times as much per person as Ecuador
Ecuador: Int$16,757 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ecuador than in the United Kingdom (Gini 13.5 points higher)
Ecuador: 45.9 (2025) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
3.4% of people in Ecuador live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.4% in the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 3.4% (2025) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 3.3% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 3.3% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom and Ecuador are practically level
Ecuador: 2.1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United Kingdom’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Ecuador’s 13%
Ecuador: 13.1% (2022) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 43% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 12 times as much on health per person as Ecuador
Ecuador: $509 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 3.8 years longer than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 77.6 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ecuador is 2.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 10.9 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 43% more doctors per person than Ecuador
Ecuador: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United Kingdom has 83% more hospital beds per person than Ecuador
Ecuador: 1.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United Kingdom is 75% higher than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 5.5 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 29% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 28.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in the United Kingdom smoke, versus 10% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 10.1% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.55 points higher than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 6.14 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 3.2 times as much alcohol as in Ecuador
Ecuador: 3.2 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 50% more meat per person than Ecuador
Ecuador: 56.2 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 814 kcal more food per person per day than Ecuador
Ecuador: 2,621 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ecuador put in 71 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 1,594 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 4.5 years longer than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 9 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ecuador: no data · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United Kingdom has 30 more World Heritage sites than Ecuador (35 against 5)
Ecuador: 5 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, Ecuador 10
Ecuador: 10 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 77% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 77% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Kingdom is 4% faster than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 290 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Kingdom have electricity, versus 99% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 98.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 63% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 63% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ecuador 102
Ecuador: 102 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 17 times as long as Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 965 km (2022) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 6.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ecuador
Ecuador: 0.25 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Ecuador, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 49.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 79% more CO₂ than someone in Ecuador
Ecuador: 2.5 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
79% of Ecuador’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 79.4% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ecuador carries 2 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 17.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 41 times as likely to be murdered in Ecuador as in the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 45.7 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ecuador are 7.9 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 30.8 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ecuador is on average 11.3 °C warmer than the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 21.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ecuador gets 3 times as much rain as the United Kingdom
Ecuador: 3,204 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Ecuador bigger than the United Kingdom?
Ecuador is larger. Ecuador is 5% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Which has more people, Ecuador or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 3.8 times as many people as Ecuador (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ecuador or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 3.8 years longer than in Ecuador. Life expectancy at birth is 77.6 years in Ecuador and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Ecuador or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 10.9 cm taller than in Ecuador (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
