Country profile · South America
Ecuador
Ecuador has about 18 million people and has used the US dollar since 2000. President Daniel Noboa, first elected in 2023, has fought drug gangs with soldiers and states of emergency. Ecuador recorded 9,216 murders in 2025, its most ever and the highest rate in South America. Farmed shrimp has overtaken oil as its largest export.
Where Ecuador ranks
All rankings →Which alliances is Ecuador in?
All alliances →Who runs Ecuador?
President Daniel Noboa was born in Miami in 1987. His father, Álvaro Noboa, is a banana tycoon who ran for president five times and lost each time. In May 2023 President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly, which forced early elections. Noboa won the runoff on October 15, 2023 and took office at 35, the youngest president ever elected by popular vote. On April 13, 2025 he beat Luisa González, the candidate of former President Rafael Correa's party, with 55.6%. González alleged fraud. His term runs to May 2029. Correa, president from 2007 to 2017, was convicted of bribery in 2020 and lives in Belgium. Noboa's party, ADN, won 66 of the 151 seats in February 2025 and runs the Assembly with allies (chart). In November 2025 voters rejected all four of his referendum questions, including foreign military bases and a new constitution. Local elections are on November 29, 2026.
- Acción Democrática Nacional (ADN, Noboa's party) 66
- Citizen Revolution (Correa's party) and its ally 67
- Other parties 18
Photo (May 2025): Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador, Wikimedia Commons, public domain (cropped)
Who are Ecuador's allies and rivals?
President Daniel Noboa has tied Ecuador closely to the United States. In September 2025 the US named Ecuador's two largest gangs, Los Choneros and Los Lobos, terrorist organizations. Since March 2026 US and Ecuadorian forces have run joint operations, and the FBI opened an office in Quito. Ecuador's constitution bans foreign military bases, and voters refused to change that in November 2025. A trade deal signed with the United States in March 2026 still needs the National Assembly's approval. China is Ecuador's second-largest trade partner, and a free trade deal with China took effect in May 2024. Relations with Colombia broke down in early 2026. Ecuador put a security fee of up to 100% on Colombian goods, and Colombia cut its electricity sales. Both sides dropped their tariffs in June 2026. Mexico cut ties after Ecuadorian police raided its embassy in Quito on April 5, 2024 to arrest Jorge Glas. Ecuador expelled Cuba's ambassador in March 2026.
Allies and partners
United StatesJoint operations since March 2026; trade deal pending
PeruBorder drones and sensors agreed July 2026
ChinaSecond-largest trade partner; free trade since 2024
IsraelCounterterrorism agreement signed August 2026
- Guayaquil Largest city and main port. Guayas province had 4,106 murders in 2025, the most of any province.
- Manta US forces used the air base here from 1999 to 2009. Noboa showed it to US officials in 2025 as a possible base.
- Machala Port city near Peru and the murder hotspot of 2026. Killings rose from 159 to 280 in January to July.
- Yasuní Voters chose in 2023 to stop drilling in this park's ITT oil field. Only 59 of about 247 wells were closed by December 2025.
- Ecuador
- Partner
Who does Ecuador trade with?
Ecuador exported goods worth $37.2 billion in 2025 and imported $30.9 billion (Central Bank). Farmed shrimp became the largest export in 2025, at $8.4 billion, ahead of crude oil at $7.0 billion. China buys about half of the shrimp. Ecuador is the world's largest exporter of bananas, which earned $4.3 billion, and its cocoa exports nearly tripled in 2024. Panama appears as a big buyer only because most crude oil exports are declared there (chart). Ecuador pumped about 430,000 barrels of oil a day in 2025, and it left OPEC in 2020. Ecuador has used the US dollar as its currency since 2000. Money sent home by Ecuadorians abroad reached a record $7.7 billion in 2025, 78% of it from the United States. A $5 billion IMF loan supports the budget, and in January 2026 Ecuador sold bonds abroad for the first time since 2019. Since July 24, 2026 the United States has charged a 10% tariff on goods from Ecuador, with many farm goods exempt.
Sells to
Share of Ecuador's exports
- United States18.5%
Panama17.3%- China16.1%
Netherlands4.3%
Spain3.4%
Goods, 2025, as reported by Ecuador. UN Comtrade.
Why is Ecuador so violent?
Ecuador's ports have become a main exit for cocaine bound for the United States and Europe. President Daniel Noboa says up to 70% of the world's cocaine passes through Ecuador. The UN has not confirmed that figure. Local gangs such as Los Lobos and Los Choneros work with Mexican cartels and fight each other for routes, prisons and illegal gold mines. The murder rate rose from 5.8 per 100,000 people in 2018 to about 46 in 2023. In January 2024 the leader of Los Choneros, Adolfo Macías, known as "Fito", escaped from prison, and gunmen stormed a TV studio in Guayaquil. Noboa then declared an "internal armed conflict" and named about 22 gangs as terrorist groups and military targets. Fito was caught in June 2025 and sent to the United States. Murders still reached a record 9,216 in 2025, the highest rate in South America (InSight Crime). They fell 6.4% in January to August 2026. More than 550 prisoners have died in prison massacres since 2021.
Why does Ecuador have blackouts?
Hydropower made 81.5% of Ecuador's electricity in 2025, so dry spells quickly cause shortages. In 2024 a drought brought power cuts of up to 14 hours a day, which lasted from September until December 20. The largest power plant, Coca Codo Sinclair, was built by the Chinese state company Sinohydro. It has thousands of cracks, and sediment in the Coca River stopped it 33 times in 2025. In 2026 the dry season and El Niño brought a new crisis. Colombia stopped selling electricity to Ecuador in January during the tariff war, and again in September because its own reservoirs were low. Since October 12 large factories have faced power cuts of up to 72 hours a week, and unplanned blackouts hit Quito and Guayaquil on October 13 and 14. Colombia resumed sales around October 16. President Daniel Noboa has promised no planned cuts for homes, and he expects the worst months from late November to February.