Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ecuador fits inside the United States 38 times
Ecuador: 256,370 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 8.9 times as long as Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 2,237 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ecuador’s highest peak towers 77 m above the United States’
Ecuador: 6,267 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of the United States, versus 20% of Ecuador
Ecuador: 20.3% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 19 times as many people as Ecuador
Ecuador: 18.3 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ecuador is 2 times as densely populated as the United States
Ecuador: 74 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 9.6 cm taller than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 167.3 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 8.1 cm taller than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 155.3 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 9.6 years older than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 28.4 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ecuador have 0.2 more children on average than in the United States
Ecuador: 1.81 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 8.6% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ecuador hosts 8% more refugees per resident than the United States
Ecuador: 1.4 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ecuador none
Ecuador: 0 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ecuador and the United States are practically level
Ecuador: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 236 times the size of Ecuador’s
Ecuador: $130 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 5.4 times as much per person as Ecuador
Ecuador: Int$16,757 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ecuador than in the United States (Gini 4.1 points higher)
Ecuador: 45.9 (2025) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
3.4% of people in Ecuador live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.1% in the United States
Ecuador: 3.4% (2025) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 3.3% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 3.3% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Ecuador 2.1%
Ecuador: 2.1% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ecuador’s central government collects 13% of GDP in tax, the United States’ 11%
Ecuador: 13.1% (2022) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 2.4× Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 43% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 26 times as much on health per person as Ecuador
Ecuador: $509 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 1.3 years longer than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 77.6 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ecuador is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States
Ecuador: 10.9 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 59% more doctors per person than Ecuador
Ecuador: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United States has 2 times as many hospital beds per person as Ecuador
Ecuador: 1.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United States is 2.4 times that in Ecuador
Ecuador: 5.5 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 29% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 28.7% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 10% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 10.1% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 0.67 points higher than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 6.14 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 3 times as much alcohol as in Ecuador
Ecuador: 3.2 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 2.2 times as much meat per person as Ecuador
Ecuador: 56.2 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,326 kcal more food per person per day than Ecuador
Ecuador: 2,621 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 195 more hours a year than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 1,594 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 4.9 years longer than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 9 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ecuador: no data · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 22 more World Heritage sites than Ecuador (27 against 5)
Ecuador: 5 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Ecuador 10
Ecuador: 10 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 77% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 77% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 38% faster than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 290 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 99% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 98.5% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 63% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 63% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ecuador 102
Ecuador: 102 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 154 times as long as Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 965 km (2022) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ecuador
Ecuador: 0.25 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Ecuador, but only 34% of the United States
Ecuador: 49.7% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 5.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ecuador
Ecuador: 2.5 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
79% of Ecuador’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States
Ecuador: 79.4% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ecuador carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in the United States
Ecuador: 17.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7.9 times as likely to be murdered in Ecuador as in the United States
Ecuador: 45.7 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ecuador are 17% deadlier than in the United States
Ecuador: 30.8 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ecuador is on average 10.9 °C warmer than the United States
Ecuador: 21.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ecuador gets 3.8 times as much rain as the United States
Ecuador: 3,204 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 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 States?
The United States is larger. Ecuador fits inside the United States 38 times.
Which has more people, Ecuador or the United States?
The United States has 19 times as many people as Ecuador (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ecuador or the United States?
People in the United States live 1.3 years longer than in Ecuador. Life expectancy at birth is 77.6 years in Ecuador and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Ecuador or the United States?
Men in the United States are 9.6 cm taller than in Ecuador (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
