Labour · Latin America & Caribbean · Upper-middle income
Ecuador: the labour market
Labour force is 9.0m (2025), 61st of 187 in the world and 8th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Participation rate is 64.5% (2025), 70th of 187 in the world and 13th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Women's participation is 52.4% (2025), 102nd of 187 in the world and 17th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Labour force
Ecuador
Participation rate
EcuadorLatin America & CaribbeanUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Ecuador in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Latin America & Caribbean; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 9.0m2025 | 61/187 | 8/31 | 5.2m | 6.5m | 7.8m | +18%since 2015 | 325m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 64.5%2025 | 70/187 | 13/31 | 63.4% | 62.7% | 60.0% | −1.2 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 52.4%2025 | 102/187 | 17/31 | 45.9% | 48.0% | 48.2% | +0.5 ppsince 2015 | 51.4% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 62.4%2025 | 56/187 | 7/31 | 60.4% | 60.1% | 56.4% | −0.9 ppsince 2015 | 59.3% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 3.3%2025 | 136/187 | 25/31 | 4.8% | 4.1% | 6.1% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 5.5% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 4.1%2025 | 124/187 | 25/31 | 6.4% | 5.0% | 7.3% | −0.4 ppsince 2015 | 6.5% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 8.2%2025 | 138/187 | 26/31 | 9.8% | 9.3% | 11.1% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 17.7%2025 | 88/170 | 19/28 | 21.0% | 15.7% | 18.5%2021 | −2.1 ppsince 2015 | 18.1% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 47.7%2025 | 132/187 | 29/31 | 48.5% | 52.1% | 45.6% | −4.5 ppsince 2015 | 64.4% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 50.1%2025 | 53/187 | 3/31 | 46.2% | 43.9% | 52.0% | +5.2 ppsince 2015 | 31.5% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 32.5%2025 | 54/187 | 2/31 | 31.6% | 29.8% | 31.8% | +5.2 ppsince 2015 | 12.7% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 16.6%2025 | 125/187 | 24/31 | 19.1% | 16.6% | 15.9% | −1.7 ppsince 2015 | 20.5% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 50.9%2025 | 123/187 | 29/31 | 49.3% | 53.6% | 52.3% | −3.5 ppsince 2015 | 66.8% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+0.5 pp52.4% in 2025
- Unemployment−0.3 pp3.3% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.4 pp4.1% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−0.7 pp8.2% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Employment rate−0.9 pp62.4% in 2025
- Wage workers−4.5 pp47.7% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment+5.2 pp50.1% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Ecuador and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Ecuador. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Ecuador | Colombia | Peru |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 9.0m2025 | 27.1m2025 | 19.2m2025 |
| Participation rate | 64.5%2025 | 63.4%2025 | 72.9%2025 |
| Women's participation | 52.4%2025 | 51.6%2025 | 65.0%2025 |
| Employment rate | 62.4%2025 | 58.1%2025 | 69.1%2025 |
| Unemployment | 3.3%2025 | 8.3%2025 | 5.1%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 4.1%2025 | 10.5%2025 | 5.8%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 8.2%2025 | 17.7%2025 | 9.5%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 17.7%2025 | 22.0%2025 | 22.8%2022 |
| Wage workers | 47.7%2025 | 54.4%2025 | 48.7%2025 |