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Development & Human Capital

102nd

of 196 countries placed

Placed from 3 of 3 key statistics

01The evidence

The 3 key statistics that decide it

Only these place Ecuador on development & human capital — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.

Why these keys
  1. Key 1 of 3

    Social Protection Coverage

    International Labour Organization (ILO)

    Why it is a key: The share of people covered by at least one social protection benefit: whether the state catches anybody when they fall.

    Latest reading per country, 2015–2025 · Ecuador’s is from 2021 · CC BY 4.0

    46.8

    Population covered by at least one social protection benefit (%)

    Higher is better

    Ecuador: 46.8. Across the 208 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Somalia) to 100 (Switzerland); the world median is 52.1.

    World median
    52.1
    Best in South America
    100 Guyana
    Land neighbours
    Colombia 58.3 · Peru 30.1

    Each grey tick is one of 208 countries at its latest reading, 2015–2025.

  2. Key 2 of 3

    Maternal Mortality Ratio

    UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG)

    Why it is a key: Whether a woman survives giving birth — the reach of a health system at the moment it is hardest to fake.

    2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO

    55.37

    Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births

    Lower is better

    Ecuador: 55.37. Across the 195 countries in this edition, values run from 0.11 (Cook Islands) to 992.83 (Nigeria); the world median is 46.65.

    World median
    46.65
    Best in South America
    9.88 Chile
    Land neighbours
    Colombia 59.38 · Peru 51.45

    Each grey tick is one of 195 countries in the 2023 edition.

  3. Key 3 of 3

    Human Development Index

    UNDP Human Development Report Office

    Why it is a key: The standard composite of health, schooling and income, carrying UNDP's own published rank.

    2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO

    0.777

    HDI score (0–1)

    Higher is better

    Ranked 88th of 193 by UNDP Human Development Report Office

    Ecuador: 0.777. Across the 193 countries in this edition, values run from 0.388 (South Sudan) to 0.972 (Iceland); the world median is 0.762.

    World median
    0.762
    Best in South America
    0.878 Chile
    Land neighbours
    Colombia 0.788 · Peru 0.794

    Each grey tick is one of 193 countries in the 2023 edition.

03In context

Ecuador beside its neighbours

A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 196 countries on development & human capital, never a place within the region.

South America
1st196thNot placed · 28 countries with too few key statisticsNo data

The whole world on development & human capital

Ecuador and the countries it borders

The standing is each country’s place among all 196 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.

CountryStandingSocial Protection CoveragePopulation covered by at least one social protection benefit (%)Maternal Mortality RatioMaternal deaths per 100,000 live birthsHuman Development IndexHDI score (0–1)
Colombia94th58.359.380.788
Ecuador102nd46.855.370.777
Peru106th30.151.450.794

“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.

Placed either side on development & human capital

The countries immediately above and below Ecuador in the topic’s list.

04Context, no vote

Where Ecuador is ahead of the world, and behind

28 more statistics filed under development & human capital, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.

Every country

Ahead of the world median12

Statistics on which Ecuador does better than the middle country measured.

  • Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9710.998▲ Improved since 2013

    Ecuador: 0.998 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.

    Position 6th of 184 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 2025 · world median 0.0390.008No real change since 2018

    Ecuador: 0.008 · world median 0.039 · MPI (0–1). Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 0.517; lower is better.

    Position 82nd of 109 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Planetary pressures-adjusted HDIUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6780.735▲ Improved since 2013

    Ecuador: 0.735 · world median 0.678 · PHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.276 to 0.827; higher is better.

    Position 41st of 156 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Statistical Performance IndicatorsWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 69.379.86▼ Worsened since 2016

    Ecuador: 79.86 · world median 69.3 · SPI overall score (0–100). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 27.12 to 94.14; higher is better.

    Position 66th of 188 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Cereal YieldFAO · 2023 · world median 3,0724,025▲ Improved since 2013

    Ecuador: 4,025 · world median 3,072 · Cereal yield (kg per hectare). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 23 to 29,147; higher is better.

    Position 63rd of 179 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Expected Years of SchoolingUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 13.3414.85No real change since 2013

    Ecuador: 14.85 · world median 13.34 · Expected years of schooling. UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 5.635 to 21.69; higher is better.

    Position 70th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Life Expectancy at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 74.6377.39No real change since 2013

    Ecuador: 77.39 · world median 74.63 · Years a newborn would live at current death rates. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 54.46 to 86.37; higher is better.

    Position 80th of 222 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Human Capital IndexWorld Bank Group · 2020 · world median 0.5640.594▲ Improved since 2010

    Ecuador: 0.594 · world median 0.564 · HCI score (0–1). World Bank Group, 2020 edition, data for 2020.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.292 to 0.879; higher is better.

    Position 74th of 172 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2020 dataset

  • Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.64No real change since 2013

    Ecuador: 0.64 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.

    Position 76th of 169 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Infant Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 12.2610.95▼ Worsened since 2014

    Ecuador: 10.95 · world median 12.26 · Deaths before age one (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 1.214 to 71.87; lower is better.

    Position 111th of 200 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Under-Five Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 14.5412.88No real change since 2014

    Ecuador: 12.88 · world median 14.54 · Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 1.26 to 115.65; lower is better.

    Position 110th of 200 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.0517.02No real change since 2013

    Ecuador: 17.02 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.

    Position 86th of 169 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

Behind the world median14

Statistics on which Ecuador does worse than the middle country measured.

  • GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 14,27314,256▲ Improved since 2015

    Ecuador: 14,256 · world median 14,273 · GNI per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 1,181 to 116,633; higher is better.

    Position 52nd of 102 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.358▲ Improved since 2013

    Ecuador: 0.358 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.

    Ranked 88th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 40.7439.6No earlier reading

    Ecuador: 39.6 · world median 40.74 · Infants under 6 months exclusively breastfed (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 3.497 to 83.3; higher is better.

    Position 75th of 136 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • GDP per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 17,26514,319▼ Worsened since 2015

    Ecuador: 14,319 · world median 17,265 · GDP per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 1,067 to 139,593; higher is better.

    Position 105th of 185 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Stunting Prevalence in Children Under FiveUNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates) · 2024 · world median 13.817.45No earlier reading

    Ecuador: 17.45 · world median 13.8 · Children under 5 who are stunted (%). UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.518 to 52.8; lower is better.

    Position 70th of 162 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Mean Years of SchoolingUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 9.9338.97No real change since 2013

    Ecuador: 8.97 · world median 9.933 · Mean years of schooling (adults 25+). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 1.412 to 14.3; higher is better.

    Position 113th of 193 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Account Ownership at a Financial InstitutionWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 72.8364.51▼ Worsened since 2014

    Ecuador: 64.51 · world median 72.83 · Adults with an account (% of population aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 14.83 to 99.85; higher is better.

    Position 82nd of 139 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Child MarriageUNICEF · 2025 · world median 17.122.2No earlier reading

    Ecuador: 22.2 · world median 17.1 · Women 20–24 married before 18 (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.3; lower is better.

    Position 60th of 143 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Access to ElectricityWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 10098.5▼ Worsened since 2014

    Ecuador: 98.5 · world median 100 · Population with electricity access (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 5.4 to 100; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Completeness of Birth RegistrationUNICEF · 2025 · world median 98.488.2No earlier reading

    Ecuador: 88.2 · world median 98.4 · Children under 5 whose birth is registered (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 2.7 to 100; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Prosperity GapWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 1.7543.256▼ Worsened since 2013

    Ecuador: 3.256 · world median 1.754 · Average factor incomes must rise by to reach $28 a day. World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.406 to 12.06; lower is better.

    Position 17th of 60 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 7.8230.82▼ Worsened since 2013

    Ecuador: 30.82 · world median 7.82 · Population below $8.30 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.07 to 93.58; lower is better.

    Position 16th of 59 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 0.934.68▼ Worsened since 2013

    Ecuador: 4.68 · world median 0.93 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 54.36; lower is better.

    Position 11th of 58 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 0.3451.47▼ Worsened since 2013

    Ecuador: 1.47 · world median 0.345 · Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 19.95; lower is better.

    Position 10th of 59 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

No better end2

These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.

  • Manufacturing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 11.2613.24Moved since 2015

    Ecuador: 13.24 · world median 11.26 · Manufacturing value added (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.481 to 43.97.

    Position 49th of 132 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Net Official Development Assistance ReceivedOECD Development Assistance Committee · 2023 · world median 2.5790.47Moved since 2013

    Ecuador: 0.47 · world median 2.579 · Net ODA received (% of GNI). OECD Development Assistance Committee, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from -0.001 to 101.78.

    Position 102nd of 130 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

No current reading for Ecuador

Children with Functional Difficulties, Country Policy and Institutional Assessment and Violent Discipline of Children. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.

06The top of the list

Who leads on development & human capital

The three countries placed highest of 196, and the leaders Ecuador can most readily be measured against.

All 196 countries
  1. 1

    Cook Islands

    Polynesia

    1st of 196 · 2 of 3 keys

    Photo: Benedict Adam · CC BY 2.0, greyscale

  2. 2

    Norway

    Northern Europe

    2nd of 196 · 3 of 3 keys

    Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  3. 3

    Denmark

    Northern Europe

    3rd of 196 · 3 of 3 keys

    Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

Placed highest nearby

  1. Highest in Americas

    Canada27th3/3 keys
  2. Highest in South America

    Uruguay45th3/3 keys
  3. This page

    Ecuador102nd3/3 keys

Positions out of 196 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.

08Questions

Ecuador on development & human capital: questions answered

Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.

How does Ecuador rank on development & human capital?

Ecuador is placed 102nd of 196 countries on Development & Human Capital in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics (Social Protection Coverage, Maternal Mortality Ratio and Human Development Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.

What is the latest Social Protection Coverage figure for Ecuador?

46.8 in 2025 (population covered by at least one social protection benefit (%)), according to International Labour Organization (ILO). The world median in the same edition was 52.1.

What is the latest Maternal Mortality Ratio figure for Ecuador?

55.37 in 2023 (maternal deaths per 100,000 live births), according to UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG). The world median in the same edition was 46.65.

How does Ecuador compare with Colombia on development & human capital?

Colombia is placed 94th of 196, and Ecuador 102nd. Social Protection Coverage: Colombia 58.3, Ecuador 46.8; Maternal Mortality Ratio: Colombia 59.38, Ecuador 55.37; Human Development Index: Colombia 0.788, Ecuador 0.777.

How have Ecuador’s development & human capital figures changed?

Maternal Mortality Ratio fell from 122.74 in 2000 to 55.37 in 2023; Human Development Index rose from 0.683 in 2000 to 0.777 in 2023.

Which development & human capital statistics are missing for Ecuador?

No current reading is published for Ecuador on Children with Functional Difficulties, Country Policy and Institutional Assessment and Violent Discipline of Children. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.

10Method

Method, sources and how to cite

What this topic does not measure

Poverty lines, inequality and aid received are published here as context rather than as keys, often because they cover fewer countries or are measured too rarely. Development is also not the same as economic size or growth, which belong to Economy & Innovation.

About development & human capital, in full

How the Development & Human Capital standing is decided, step by step

A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.

  1. A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 3 indicators on this topic are keys and 31 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
  2. Each key is read at one edition. ⚠ The keys behind this standing do not all describe the same year — they run from 2023 to 2025, because publishers release on their own schedules. Read the standing as “how this country places now”, not as a snapshot of one year.
  3. Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
  4. Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
  5. The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
  6. A country needs 2 of this topic’s 3 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 196 countries clear the bar here.
  7. A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 3.
  8. A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.

The key statistics and their licences

The other 28 statistics on this page come from 9 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.

The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photographs

Ecuador’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Ecuador: Development & Human Capital — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/ecuador/development

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