Ecuador (Republic of Ecuador)

https://www.humantruth.info/ecuador.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2025

Ecuador Republic of Ecuador
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	69th best
Capital	Quito
Land Area	248 360km²₁
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	17.1m₂
Life Expectancy	73.67yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$10 312 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	EC, ECU, 218₅
Internet Domain	.ec₆
Currency	Dollar (USD)₇
Telephone	+593₈

1. Overview

“What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 30 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period was marred by political instability. Protests in Quito contributed to the mid-term ouster of three of Ecuador's last four democratically elected Presidents. In late 2008, voters approved a new constitution, Ecuador's 20th since gaining independence. General elections, under the new constitutional framework, were held in April 2009, and voters re-elected President Rafael CORREA.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

2. Ecuador National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₀
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₀
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
92=	Algeria	0.745
92=	Azerbaijan	0.745
92=	Turkmenistan	0.745
95	Ecuador	0.740
96	Mongolia	0.739
97=	Egypt	0.731
97=	Tunisia	0.731
99=	Fiji	0.730
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₀
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₀
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
104	Indonesia	$11 466
105	Algeria	$10 800
106	Mongolia	$10 588
107	Ecuador	$10 312
108	Tunisia	$10 258
109	Fiji	$9 980
110	Iraq	$9 977
111	Jordan	$9 924
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₁
1	Denmark	26.9
2	Norway	29.1
3	Sweden	29.9
	...
66	Northern Cyprus	79.1
67	China	79.9
68	Panama	80.2
69	Ecuador	80.7
70	Trinidad & Tobago	80.7
71	Vietnam	80.9
72	Colombia	81.1
73	Bosnia & Herzegovina	81.5
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	89.0
q=200.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Ecuador's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Ecuador's population is predicted to rise to 17.89 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.00. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1, once you take mortality into account₁₂. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population₂
Pos.		2018 Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
63	Malawi	18.1m
64	Zambia	17.4m
65	Guatemala	17.2m
66	Ecuador	17.1m
67	Netherlands	17.1m
68	Syria	16.9m
69	Cambodia	16.2m
70	Senegal	15.9m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₀
Pos.		2021 Years₁₀
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
74	Tunisia	73.8
75	Lithuania	73.7
76	Cuba	73.7
77	Ecuador	73.7
78	Vietnam	73.6
79	Latvia	73.6
80	Mauritius	73.6
81	Palestine	73.5
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₄
Pos.		2022₁₄
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
4	India	2.01
5	Belize	1.99
6	Grenada	1.99
7	New Caledonia	2.02
8	Sri Lanka	1.97
9	Faroe Islands	2.05
10	Bangladesh	1.95
11	Vietnam	1.94
12	Georgia	2.06
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better₁₅
Pos.		2016 Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
100=	Dominican Rep.	15.6
100=	Venezuela	15.6
100=	Kazakhstan	15.6
103	Ecuador	16.0
104	Morocco	16.1
105=	Suriname	16.2
105=	Grenada	16.2
105=	Brunei	16.2
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants₁₆
Pos.		2017 %₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
114	Samoa	2.5%
115	Zimbabwe	2.4%
116	Swaziland	2.4%
117	Ecuador	2.4%
118	Paraguay	2.4%
119	Uruguay	2.3%
120	Mauritius	2.3%
121	Benin	2.3%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants₁₇
Pos.		2010 %₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
75	Sri Lanka	9.1%
76	Somalia	8.7%
77	Kuwait	8.5%
78	Ecuador	8.3%
79	Poland	8.3%
80	Afghanistan	8.1%
81	Paraguay	7.9%
82	Russia	7.9%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#ecuador #ecuador_human_rights #equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈
1	Sweden	7.8
2	Netherlands	8.7
3	Denmark	8.8
	...
61	Romania	75.0
62	Ukraine	75.3
63	Panama	75.3
64	Ecuador	75.4
65	Suriname	75.5
66	Guatemala	77.1
	The Americas Avg	71.80
	World Avg	89.80
q=199.

Ecuador does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Ecuador does the second-best in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₉. It comes in the best 20 in freethought₂₀ (amongst the best in The Americas). It does better than average in LGBT equality in the 2020s₂₁, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₂ (but bad for The Americas) and in its average Freedom in the World rating (but bad for The Americas). But, there's bad news too. Ecuador does worse than average in the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₃ (amongst the worst in The Americas), opposing gender inequality₂₄, supporting press freedom₂₅, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₆ and in combatting modern slavery₂₇. Now Rafael Correa has been replaced as President (in 2017), things are looking to get better, as new President Lenin Moreno "has publicly embraced respect for free speech and promised to deliver a more tolerant government"₂₈.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Ecuador

5. Ecuador's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #ecuador #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Compared to The Americas (2025)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₉
1	Canada	62.0
2	Cuba	62.5
3	Antigua & Barbuda	63.9
	...
23	Panama	93.0
24	Argentina	96.1
25	El Salvador	98.2
26	Ecuador	98.7
27	Guyana	100.9
28	Mexico	101.9
29	Peru	103.9
30	Bermuda	104.3
31	Belize	106.0
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=41.

Health (2025)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₉
1	Monaco	10.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Japan	37.3
	...
106	Bhutan	97.7
107	El Salvador	98.2
108	Palau	98.6
109	Ecuador	98.7
110	Algeria	98.9
111	Kyrgyzstan	100.8
112	Guyana	100.9
113	Mexico	101.9
	World Avg	97.57
q=207.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and Japan₃₀. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₃₀.

42 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations, delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 and childhood mortality. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₃₀, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia₃₀.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

5.1. Health Datasets

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #ecuador #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #smoking #suicide

Ecuador does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Ecuador does the second-best for its fertility rate₁₄. It does better than average in its smoking rate₃₁, its suicide rate₃₂ (but high for The Americas), its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₃, its alcohol consumption rate₃₄, its average life expectancy₁₀ and in childhood mortality in the 2020s₃₅. Ecuador doesn't do so well in other areas. Ecuador does worse than average when it comes to the prevalence of overweight adults₃₆, delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015₃₇, its adolescent birth rate₃₈ and in delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations in the 2020s₃₉. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years. Life expectancy in Ecuador improved by +7.9yrs in the 30 years from 1990, which is the global average. Ecuador is amongst only 41 countries who have seen their fertility rate drop by more than 4 since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 6.72 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₀
Pos.		2021 Years₁₀
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
74	Tunisia	73.8
75	Lithuania	73.7
76	Cuba	73.7
77	Ecuador	73.7
78	Vietnam	73.6
79	Latvia	73.6
80	Mauritius	73.6
81	Palestine	73.5
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better₃₄
Pos.		2016 Per Capita₃₄
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
70	Jamaica	4.2
71	Sri Lanka	4.3
72=	Bahamas	4.4
72=	Ecuador	4.4
74=	Bolivia	4.8
74=	Costa Rica	4.8
74=	Guinea-Bissau	4.8
74=	Myanmar	4.8
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₄
Pos.		2022₁₄
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
4	India	2.01
5	Belize	1.99
6	Grenada	1.99
7	New Caledonia	2.02
8	Sri Lanka	1.97
9	Faroe Islands	2.05
10	Bangladesh	1.95
11	Vietnam	1.94
12	Georgia	2.06
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		Total %₃₁
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
30	Swaziland	9.5%
31	Jamaica	9.7%
32	Malawi	9.7%
33	Ecuador	10.2%
34=	Gambia	10.5%
34=	Dominican Rep.	10.5%
36	Kenya	10.7%
37	Paraguay	10.8%
	The Americas Avg	12.7%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165. Also scored for 2000s-2020s.

Suicide Rate₃₂
Pos.		2013 Per 100k₃₂
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
37	Macedonia	13.5
38	Mauritius	13.7
39	UK	13.9
40	Ecuador	14.1
41	Spain	15.3
42	Argentina	15.6
43	Thailand	15.8
44	Australia	16.4
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₃
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
47	Czechia	47
48	China	48
49	Singapore	49
50	Ecuador	50
51	Israel	51
52	Slovakia	52
53	Bulgaria	53
54	Panama	54
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better₃₆
Pos.		1976 %₃₆
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
95=	Brazil	28.2
96	Costa Rica	28.6
97=	Mongolia	29.0
97=	Ecuador	29.0
99	Barbados	29.5
100	El Salvador	29.7
101=	Morocco	30.4
101=	Turkmenistan	30.4
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better₄₀
Pos.		2022 %₄₀
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
109	Belarus	26.6%
110	Albania	26.6%
111	Estonia	26.7%
112	Ecuador	27.0%
113	Portugal	27.1%
114	Peru	27.2%
115	Swaziland	27.3%
116	Canada	27.3%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

5.2. Children's Health Datasets

#children's_health #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better₃₈
Pos.		2022 Per 1000₃₈
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
138	Gambia	60.7
139	S. Africa	60.9
140	Iraq	61.2
141	Ecuador	62.1
142	Kenya	62.6
143	Bolivia	63.1
144	Namibia	63.1
145	Guatemala	63.2
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Infant DTP Immunizations (2020s) Higher is better₃₉
Pos.		Total Avg %₃₉
1=	Luxembourg	99.0
1=	Oman	99.0
1=	Niue	99.0
	...
184	Benin	73.5
185	Congo, DR	73.2
186	S. Sudan	72.7
187=	Ecuador	72.6
187=	Equatorial Guinea	72.6
189	Suriname	72.2
190	Chad	72.1
191	Djibouti	71.2
	The Americas Avg	87.5
	World Avg	88.5
q=211. Also scored for 1980s-2020s.

7x Infant Immunizations (2011-2015) Higher is better₃₇
Pos.		2015 Avg %₃₇
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
133	Bosnia & Herzegovina	88.0
134	Sierra Leone	87.7
135	Suriname	87.2
136	Ecuador	86.8
137	Cambodia	86.5
138	Namibia	86.5
139	Dominican Rep.	86.3
140	Panama	86.1
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better₃₅
Pos.		Total Per 1000₃₅
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
83	British Virgin Islands	15.26
84	Moldova	15.77
85	Colombia	15.90
86	Ecuador	15.98
87=	Belize	16.05
87=	Iran	16.05
89	Brazil	16.51
90	Mexico	16.56
	The Americas Avg	18.99
	World Avg	32.19
q=195. Also scored for 1960s-2020s.

6. Ecuador's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #sustainability #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₁
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
4	Chile	56.4
5	Peru	56.7
6	Dominican Rep.	65.0
7	Ecuador	65.6
8	Guatemala	66.1
9	Mexico	66.3
10	El Salvador	67.4
11	Brazil	70.2
12	Colombia	70.9
13	Argentina	78.5
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₁
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
43	Hong Kong	64.6
44	Cyprus	64.8
45	Dominican Rep.	65.0
46	Ecuador	65.6
47	Hungary	65.8
48	Guatemala	66.1
49	Lesotho	66.1
50	Mexico	66.3
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₂. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

With regard to its responsibility towards the environment, Ecuador comes 46th in the world. This is formulated from 21 data sets. Ecuador comes in the best 20 when it comes to its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. It does better than average for the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₃ (but low for The Americas), its environmental performance₄₄ (but bad for The Americas) and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₅. But, there's bad news too. Ecuador does worse than average in its score on the Green Future Index₄₆, energy to GDP efficiency₄₇ and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₈.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₄₈
Pos.		Total₄₈
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
192	Kenya	-8.9%
193	Senegal	-9.1%
194	Indonesia	-9.2%
195	Ecuador	-9.2%
196	Ghana	-9.7%
197	Brazil	-10.1%
198	Guinea	-11.0%
199	Mozambique	-11.1%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better₄₄
Pos.		2018₄₄
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
84=	Serbia	57.5
84=	Chile	57.5
86	Saudi Arabia	57.5
87	Ecuador	57.4
88	Algeria	57.2
89	Cape Verde	56.9
90	Mauritius	56.6
91	St Lucia	56.2
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better₄₇
Pos.		2022 Avg₄₇
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
102	Dominica	1.20
103	Greece	1.20
104	Algeria	1.20
105	Ecuador	1.22
106	New Zealand	1.22
107	Georgia	1.22
108	Mauritania	1.24
109	Iraq	1.24
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
16	Macedonia	74%
17	Panama	74%
18	Denmark	73%
19	Ecuador	72%
20	Armenia	72%
21	Montenegro	72%
22	Peru	72%
23	Mauritius	72%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197. Also scored for 1970s-2020s.

Ecuador was one of the 30 who signed the Convention on Biological Diversity on its first day and one of 18 countries who enacted Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in its first year (1975).

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better₄₃
Pos.		2011 %₄₃
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
27	Venezuela	60.1%
28	Morocco	60.0%
29	Malta	57.3%
30	Ecuador	57.2%
31	Portugal	55.8%
32	Hong Kong	54.8%
33	Lebanon	54.3%
34	Nepal	52.8%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better₄₅
Pos.		2021 kg₄₅
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
87	Ukraine	48.5
88	Cuba	49.6
89	Libya	50.0
90	Ecuador	50.9
91	Albania	52.0
92	Kiribati	52.4
93	Vietnam	52.6
94	Dominican Rep.	53.5
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185. Also scored for 2010s.

Green Future Index Higher is better₄₆
Pos.		2023 Score₄₆
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
49	Indonesia	4.3
50	India	4.3
51	Nigeria	4.2
52	Ecuador	4.1
53=	Kazakhstan	4.1
53=	Vietnam	4.1
55	Thailand	4.1
56	Saudi Arabia	4.1
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

7. Ecuador's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #metric #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2025)₄₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₉
1	Canada	30.9
2	Argentina	34.3
3	Chile	41.0
	...
7	Cuba	54.3
8	Peru	55.0
9	Costa Rica	55.8
10	Ecuador	57.6
11	Bolivia	60.5
12	Colombia	61.0
13=	Dominican Rep.	65.7
13=	Panama	65.7
15	Venezuela	66.3
	The Americas Avg	77.96
q=36.

Modernity & Learning (2025)₄₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₉
1	Vatican City	1.0
2	Finland	4.8
3	Belgium	8.5
	...
62	Costa Rica	55.8
63	Uzbekistan	55.9
64	Andorra	56.8
65	Ecuador	57.6
66	Malaysia	57.8
67	S. Africa	58.2
68	Kyrgyzstan	58.6
69	N. Korea	58.8
	World Avg	80.33
q=194.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are The Vatican City, Finland and Belgium₅₀. The worst countries are S. Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia₅₀. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₁.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”
Bill Emmott (2017)₅₂

23 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Intellectual Endeavours, metric system adoption rate, Religiosity, IQ, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Maths, Science & Reading, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₅₀, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₅₀.

For more, see:

" Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

7.1. Modernity Datasets

#intelligence #metric #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₅₃
2	Israel	4.11₅₃
3	Japan	3.58₅₃
	...
73=	Chile	0.38₅₃
73=	Ghana	0.38₅₄
75	Moldova	0.35₅₅
76	Ecuador	0.34₅₆
77	Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.33₅₅
78	Iran	0.31₅₄
79=	Nepal	0.30₅₄
79=	Kuwait	0.30₅₅
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₃
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
136	Honduras	136
137	Papua New Guinea	137
138	Congo, DR	138
139	Ecuador	139
140	Syria	140
141	Mauritania	141
142	Nigeria	142
143	Mali	143
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Metric System Adoption Rate Higher is better₅₇
Pos.		2025 %₅₇
1=	Slovakia	100
1=	Poland	100
1=	Portugal	100
	...
58=	Mauritius	95
58=	Chile	95
58=	Azerbaijan	95
58=	Ecuador	95
58=	Colombia	95
58=	Gabon	95
58=	Cape Verde	95
58=	Paraguay	95
	The Americas Avg	90
	World Avg	92
q=187. Also scored for 1960s-2020s.

Ecuador officially adopted metric in 1865₅₈. Progression:

1960 (80%): Metric established; traditional rural units persist.
1970 (90%): Commerce/education standardized metric.
1980 (95%): Metric dominant across sectors.
2000 (95%).
2025 (95%).

Religiosity Lower is better₅₉
Pos.		2018 %₅₉
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
63=	Algeria	73
63=	Peru	73
65	S. Africa	75
66=	Ecuador	76
66=	Costa Rica	76
68=	Puerto Rico	77
68=	Malaysia	77
68=	Colombia	77
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better₆₀
Pos.		2006₆₀
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
58=	Chile	90
59=	Costa Rica	89
59=	Laos	89
61=	Ecuador	88
61=	Mexico	88
63=	Brazil	87
63=	Bolivia	87
63=	Iraq	87
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

7.2. Education Datasets

#education

Secondary Education Higher is better₆₁
Pos.		2018₆₁
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
104	Turkey	53.1%
105	Costa Rica	52.9%
106	Colombia	52.0%
107	Ecuador	51.9%
108	Tunisia	51.8%
109	India	51.6%
110	Kuwait	51.5%
111	Congo, DR	50.7%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better₆₂
Pos.		2021 Years₆₂
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
66	Fiji	14.7
67	St Vincent & Grenadines	14.7
68	Algeria	14.6
69	Ecuador	14.6
70	Iran	14.6
71	Oman	14.6
72	Trinidad & Tobago	14.5
73	Slovakia	14.5
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

7.3. Technology and Information Datasets

#modernity #technology #the_internet

Internet Users Higher is better₆₃
Pos.		2016₆₃
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
112	Ukraine	44%
113	Philippines	44%
114	Jamaica	43%
115	Ecuador	43%
116	Thailand	43%
117=	Mauritius	43%
117=	Cape Verde	43%
119	Suriname	42%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better₆₄
Pos.		2017 Ratio₆₄
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
12	France	18.8
13	Canada	18.3
14	Peru	18.3
15	Ecuador	18.2
16	Estonia	17.6
17	Malaysia	16.5
18	Norway	14.7
19	Australia	14.6
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better₆₅
Pos.		2024₆₅
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
73	Belarus	43.5%
74	Georgia	43.4%
75	Dominican Rep.	43.4%
76	Ecuador	43.3%
77	Mauritius	42.9%
78	Jordan	42.6%
79	Egypt	42.5%
80	Panama	41.6%
	The Americas Avg	44.7%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Ecuador's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charity #corruption #economics #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #internationalism #life_expectancy #morals #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

8.1. National Culture Datasets

#charity #corruption #happiness #internationalism #morals #politics

World Giving Index Higher is better₆₆
Pos.		2022 %₆₆
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
51=	Sweden	42.0
51=	Colombia	42.0
51=	China	42.0
51=	Ecuador	42.0
55=	Bulgaria	41.0
55=	Slovakia	41.0
55=	Germany	41.0
58=	Nepal	40.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125. Also scored for 2010s.

Corruption Higher is better₆₇
Pos.		2022 Points₆₇
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
104=	Sri Lanka	36.0
104=	Panama	36.0
104=	Albania	36.0
104=	Ecuador	36.0
104=	Kazakhstan	36.0
104=	Thailand	36.0
110=	Gambia	34.0
110=	Sierra Leone	34.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Happiness Higher is better₆₈
Pos.		2024 Score₆₈
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
59	Bahrain	6.0
60	Portugal	6.0
61	Colombia	6.0
62	Ecuador	6.0
63	Honduras	6.0
64	Malaysia	6.0
65	Peru	5.9
66	Russia	5.9
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147. Also scored for 2010s.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₃
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
103	Armenia	103
104	Ghana	104
105	Bahrain	105
106	Ecuador	106
107	Uganda	107
108	Lesotho	108
109	Georgia	109
110	Kuwait	110
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Passport Reach (2020s) Higher is better₆₉
Pos.		Total Q₆₉
1	Singapore	192.2
2	Japan	192.0
3	S. Korea	190.7
	...
96	Qatar	101.3
97	Kuwait	97.2
98	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	94.5
99	Ecuador	92.3
100	Maldives	89.7
101	Nauru	89.3
102	Guyana	88.7
103	Fiji	88.5
	The Americas Avg	132.4
	World Avg	108.8
q=195. Also scored for 2000s-2020s.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₃
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
107	Ghana	107
108	Mexico	108
109	Thailand	109
110	Ecuador	110
111	Malawi	111
112	Laos	112
113	China	113
114	S. Africa	114
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8.2. Peace Versus Instability Datasets

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index Lower is better₇₀
Pos.		2023 Score₇₀
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
95	Algeria	2.09
96=	Papua New Guinea	2.10
96=	Azerbaijan	2.10
98	Ecuador	2.10
99	Cuba	2.10
100	Turkmenistan	2.11
101	Tajikistan	2.11
102	Kyrgyzstan	2.12
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163. Also scored for 2010s.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₃
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
21	Thailand	21
22	Algeria	22
23	Guatemala	23
24	Ecuador	24
25	Madagascar	25
26	Sri Lanka	26
27	Netherlands	27
28	Mongolia	28
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₃
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
77	Bahrain	77
78	Sri Lanka	78
79	Algeria	79
80	Ecuador	80
81	Kuwait	81
82	Paraguay	82
83	Sierra Leone	83
84	Israel	84
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better₇₁
Pos.		2019 Score₇₁
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
72	Kosovo	2.26
73	Japan	2.29
74	Netherlands	2.35
75	Ecuador	2.46
76	Kuwait	2.49
77	Malaysia	2.50
78	Brazil	2.53
79	Ivory Coast	2.60
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

8.3. Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #poverty #social_development

Poverty (2020s) Lower is better₇₂
Pos.		Total %₇₂
1	Malaysia	0.01%
2	Bhutan	0.01%
3	Cyprus	0.02%
	...
71	Kyrgyzstan	5.58%
72	Lebanon	5.89%
73	Bangladesh	5.91%
74	Ecuador	6.03%
75	Peru	6.27%
76	Indonesia	7.68%
77	Tajikistan	7.84%
78	Georgia	8.11%
	The Americas Avg	4.07%
	World Avg	11.40%
q=106. Also scored for 1980s-2020s.

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better₇₃
Pos.		2019₇₃
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
89	Grenada	11.20
90=	Kyrgyzstan	11.30
90=	St Vincent & Grenadines	11.30
92=	Ecuador	11.50
92=	N. Korea	11.50
94	Egypt	11.60
95=	Panama	12.00
95=	Palestine	12.00
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better₇₄
Pos.		2023 %₇₄
1	Slovakia	24.1%₇₅
2	Slovenia	24.3%₇₅
3	Belarus	24.4%₇₆
	...
142	Grenada	43.8%₇₇
143	S. Sudan	44.1%₇₈
144	Turkey	44.4%₇₅
145	Ecuador	44.6%₇₉
146=	Congo, DR	44.7%₇₆
146=	Venezuela	44.7%₈₀
148	Lesotho	44.9%₈₁
149	Paraguay	45.1%₈₂
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167. Also scored for 1980s-2010s.

Income inequality data for 1987, 1995 and 1998 were for urban areas only, but were not widely divergent from the overall values.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better₈₃
Pos.		2018 Severity₈₃
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
24	China	.016
25	Brazil	.016₈₄
26	Belize	.017
27	Ecuador	.018
28	Jamaica	.018
29	Paraguay	.019
30	Vietnam	.019
31	Egypt	.019
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)₅₉
Pos.		Lower is better %₅₉
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
63=	Algeria	73
63=	Peru	73
65	S. Africa	75
66=	Ecuador	76
66=	Costa Rica	76
68=	Puerto Rico	77
68=	Malaysia	77
68=	Colombia	77
71=	Dominican Rep.	78
71=	Iran	78
71=	Tunisia	78
74=	Bangladesh	80
74=	India	80
76	Iraq	82
77=	El Salvador	85
77=	Jordan	85
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)₈₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₈₅
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
77=	Costa Rica	1
77=	Honduras	1
77=	Brazil	1
77=	Ecuador	1
77=	S. Africa	1
77=	Venezuela	1
77=	Peru	1
77=	Guatemala	1
77=	El Salvador	1
77=	Panama	1
87=	Somalia	0
87=	Sri Lanka	0
87=	Burundi	0
87=	Burkina Faso	0
87=	Brunei	0
87=	Botswana	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₈₆:

	2010	2020
Christian	95.6%	88.5%
Unaffiliated	4.27%	8.39%
Other	0.122%	3.03%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%
Muslim	<0.1%	<0.1%
Hindu	<0.1%	<0.1%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 91.6% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 76% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

"Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states simply: Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%₈₇.

Links: