Freedom in Ecuador
Where Ecuador sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Ecuador has a figure for 56 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.706 | 2025 | 80 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.719 | 2025 | 83 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.692 | 2025 | 90 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.590 | 2025 | 104 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.222 | 2025 | 143 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.433 | 2025 | 101 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 0.653 | 2025 | 76 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 0.139 | 2025 | 101 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 1.123 | 2025 | 44 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 38 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 89.4 | 2023 | 46 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 39 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 70 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 77 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 37.0 | 2025 | 73 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 27.0 | 2025 | 71 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 59.4% | 2025 | 82 of 125 |
| Foreign investment inflows | 1.0% | 2025 | 58 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 44.7 | 2024 | 119 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $14.3K | 2025 | 87 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 3.7% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 0.7% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 3.3% | 2025 | 46 of 163 |
| Income inequality | 44.600 | 2023 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 4.7% | 2023 | 46 of 55 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 77.2% | 2024 | 90 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 17.2 | 2024 | 66 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 101.6 | 2024 | 100 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.607 | 2025 | 63 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.386 | 2025 | 71 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.372 | 2025 | 103 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.487 | 2025 | 100 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.626 | 2025 | 76 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.652 | 2025 | 101 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.690 | 2025 | 86 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.790 | 2025 | 76 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 55.0 | 2024 | 74 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 32.2 | 2024 | 118 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 47.1 | 2024 | 88 of 169 |
| Political stability | 53.6 | 2024 | 127 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.777 | 2023 | 73 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 77.6 | 2024 | 57 of 170 |
| Adult literacy | 93.5% | 2024 | 16 of 27 |
| Government spending on education | 3.8% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 7.6% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 30.9% | 2023 | 89 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 55.0 | 2023 | 89 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 45.0% | 2025 | 12 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 52.4% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.81 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 63.4% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 27.7 | 2024 | 89 of 168 |
| Population | 18.3M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 2.64 | 2024 | 83 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 18.9% | 2021 | 106 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 98.5% | 2024 | 100 of 169 |
What is missing
4 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Ecuador in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Ecuador, not a zero. Who publishes what