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Do not fill this in! ==Demographics== {{Main|Demographics of Ecuador}} {{see also|Ecuadorian people|Indigenous peoples in Ecuador}} [[File:Ecuador single age population pyramid 2020.png|thumb|[[Population pyramid]] in 2020]] Ecuador's population is ethnically diverse and the {{UN_Population|Year}} estimates put Ecuador's population at {{UN_Population|Ecuador}}.{{UN_Population|ref}} The largest ethnic group ({{As of|2010|lc=y}}) is the ''[[Mestizo]]s'', who are mixed race people of Amerindian and European descent, typically from Spanish colonists, in some cases this term can also include Amerindians that are culturally more Spanish influenced, and constitute about 71% of the population (although including the [[Montubio]], a term used for coastal Mestizo population, brings this up to about 79%). The White Ecuadorians are a minority accounting for 6.1% of the population of Ecuador and can be found throughout all of Ecuador, primarily around the urban areas. Even though Ecuador's white population during its colonial era were mainly descendants from Spain, today Ecuador's white population is a result of a mixture of European immigrants, predominantly from Spain with people from Italy, Germany, France, and Switzerland who have settled in the early 20th century. In addition, there is a small European Jewish ([[Ecuadorian Jews]]) population, which is based mainly in Quito and to a lesser extent in Guayaquil.<ref name=ethn>{{cite web|url=http://www.eluniverso.com/2011/09/02/1/1356/poblacion-pais-joven-mestiza-dice-censo-inec.html|title=Población del país es joven y mestiza, dice censo del INEC – Data from the national census 2010 (2011-09-02)|author=EL UNIVERSO|work=El Universo|date=2 September 2011|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924055500/http://www.eluniverso.com/2011/09/02/1/1356/poblacion-pais-joven-mestiza-dice-censo-inec.html|archive-date=24 September 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Ecuador also has a small population of Asian origins, mainly those from West Asia, like the economically well off descendants of Lebanese and Palestinian immigrants, who are either Christian or Muslim (see [[Islam in Ecuador]]), and an East Asian community mainly consisting of those of Japanese and Chinese descent, whose ancestors arrived as miners, farmhands and fishermen in the late 19th century.<ref name=CIA/> [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Amerindians]] account for 7% of the current population. The mostly rural Montubio population of the coastal provinces of Ecuador, who might be classified as [[Pardo]] account for 7.4% of the population. The [[Afro-Ecuadorian people|Afro-Ecuadorians]] are a minority population (7%) in Ecuador, that includes the [[Mulatto]]s and ''[[zambo]]s'', and are largely based in the Esmeraldas province and to a lesser degree in the predominantly Mestizo provinces of Coastal Ecuador – Guayas and Manabi. In the Highland Andes where a predominantly Mestizo, white and Amerindian population exist, the African presence is almost non-existent except for a small community in the province of Imbabura called Chota Valley. 5,000 [[Romani people]] live in Ecuador.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latinolife.co.uk/node/289|title=The Roma Gypsies of Colombia | Latino Life|access-date=3 April 2021|archive-date=9 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409070112/https://www.latinolife.co.uk/node/289|url-status=dead}}</ref> ===Language=== {{main|Languages of Ecuador }} {{bar box |title=Languages in Ecuador<ref name="CIAPAPUANEWGUINEA">{{cite web|url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/papua-new-guinea/|title= Central America and Caribbean :: PAPUA NEW GUINEA|publisher= CIA The World Factbook|access-date= 9 August 2016|df= mdy-all|archive-date= 12 April 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210412232302/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/papua-new-guinea|url-status= live}}</ref> |titlebar=#ddd |left1=Language |right1=percent |float=left |bars= {{bar percent|[[Spanish language|Spanish]]|Blue| 93}} {{bar percent|[[Quechuan languages|Kichwa]] |Orange|4.1}} {{bar percent|Foreign |Green| 2.2}} {{bar percent|Other Indigenous |Red|0.7}} }} Spanish is the official language in Ecuador. It is spoken as a first (93%) or second language (6%) by the vast majority of its population. In 1991 Northern [[Kichwa]] (Quechua) and other pre-colonial American languages were spoken by 2,500,000. Ethnologues estimate that the country has about 24 living indigenous languages. Among the 24 are [[Awa Pit language|Awapit]] (spoken by the Awá), [[A'ingae]] (spoken by the Cofan), [[Shuar language|Shuar Chicham]] (spoken by the Shuar), [[Achuar-Shiwiar]] (spoken by the Achuar and the Shiwiar), [[Cha'palaachi]] (spoken by the Chachi), [[Tsafiki language|Tsa'fiki]] (spoken by the Tsáchila), [[Pai Coca language|Paicoca]] (spoken by the Siona and Secoya), and [[Waorani language|Wao Tededeo]] (spoken by the Waorani). Use of these Amerindian languages is gradually diminishing and being replaced by Spanish. Most Ecuadorians speak Spanish as their first language, with its ubiquity permeating and dominating most of the country. Despite its small size the country has a marked diversity in Spanish accents that vary widely among regions. [[Ecuadorian Spanish]] idiosyncrasies reflect the ethnic and racial populations that originated and settled the distinct areas of the country. The three main regional variants are: * [[Equatorial Pacific Spanish or Equatorial Coastal Spanish]] * [[Andean Spanish]] * [[Amazonic Spanish]] ===Religion=== {{Main|Religion in Ecuador}} {{bar box |title=Religion in Ecuador (2014)<ref name="PewResearch">{{cite web|title=Religion in Latin America: Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/11/Religion-in-Latin-America-11-12-PM-full-PDF.pdf|access-date=17 December 2019|language=en|date=November 2014|archive-date=21 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021065936/http://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/11/Religion-in-Latin-America-11-12-PM-full-PDF.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> |titlebar=#ddd |left1=Religion |right1=percent |float=left |bars= {{bar percent|[[Catholic Church|Catholic]]|purple|79}} {{bar percent|[[Protestant]]|blue|13}} {{bar percent|[[Irreligion|Irreligious]]|Red|5}} {{bar percent|Other|Green|3}} }} According to the Ecuadorian National Institute of Statistics and Census, 91.95% of the country's population have a religion, 7.94% are [[Atheism|atheists]] and 0.11% are [[Agnosticism|agnostics]]. Among the people who have a religion, 80.44% are [[Catholic Church in Ecuador|Catholic]], 11.30% are [[Evangelical]] [[Protestantism|Protestants]], 1.29% are [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] and 6.97% other (mainly Jewish, Buddhists and Latter-day Saints).<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.lahora.com.ec/index.php/noticias/show/1101377532/-1/El_80%25_de_ecuatorianos_es_cat%C3%B3lico.html El 80% de ecuatorianos es católico] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811033609/http://www.lahora.com.ec/index.php/noticias/show/1101377532/-1/El_80%25_De_ecuatorianos_es_cat%C3%B3lico.html |date=11 August 2013 }}. lahora.com.ec. 15 August 2012</ref><ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.eluniverso.com/2012/08/15/1/1382/80-ecuatorianos-afirma-ser-catolico-segun-inec.html El 80% de los ecuatorianos afirma ser católico, según el INEC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819020308/http://www.eluniverso.com/2012/08/15/1/1382/80-ecuatorianos-afirma-ser-catolico-segun-inec.html |date=19 August 2012 }}. eluniverso.com. 15 August 2012</ref> In the rural parts of Ecuador, Amerindian beliefs and Catholicism are sometimes [[syncretism|syncretized]] into a local form of [[folk Catholicism]]. Most festivals and annual parades are based on religious celebrations, many incorporating a mixture of rites and icons.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} [[File:La Compañía, Quito - 6.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Church of La Compañía, Quito|Colonial Jesuit Convent of Quito]]]] There is a small number of [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christians]], Amerindian religions, Muslims (see [[Islam in Ecuador]]), [[Buddhist]]s and [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]]. According to their own estimates, [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] accounts for about 1.4% of the population, or 211,165 members at the end of 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/ecuador|title=LDS Newsroom, Facts and Statistics, Ecuador|publisher=mormonnewsroom.org|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-date=28 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628002604/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/ecuador|url-status=live}}</ref> According to their own sources, in 2017 there were 92,752 [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] in the country.<ref>2017 Service Year Report of Jehovah's Witnesses</ref> The [[History of the Jews in Ecuador]] goes back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Until the 20th century the mayority were [[Sephardic]] with many [[Anusim]] ([[Crypto-Jews]]) among them. Ashkenazi Jews arrived mostly as refugees after the ascendance of [[Nazism|National Socialism]] in Germany in 1933, with 3000 Jews in Ecuador in 1940. At its peak, in 1950, the Jewish population of Ecuador was estimated at 4,000, but then diminished to some 290 around 2020,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishmiami.org/communitypost/happening/37842/from_oy_to_joy_at_miami_jewish_film_festival|title=The Lost Sephardic Tribes of Latin America|work=Greater Miami Jewish Federation Community Post|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630161407/http://jewishmiami.org/communitypost/happening/37842/from_oy_to_joy_at_miami_jewish_film_festival|archive-date=30 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Ecuador.html |title=Jews in Ecuador |publisher=[[Jewish Virtual Library]] |access-date=22 January 2014 |archive-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717013541/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Ecuador.html |url-status=live }}</ref> forming one of the smallest Jewish communities in [[South America]]. Nevertheless, this number is declining because young people leave the country for the United States or Israel. Today the Jewish Community of Ecuador (Comunidad Judía del Ecuador) has its seat in [[Quito]]. There are very small communities in [[Cuenca (Ecuador)|Cuenca]]. The "Comunidad de Culto Israelita" reunites the Jews of [[Guayaquil]]. This community works independently from the "Jewish Community of Ecuador" and is composed of only 30 people.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071103105731/http://www.congresojudio.org.ar/comunidades.asp?id=ecuador Población total 11,700,000 ~ Población judía 1000]. Congreso Judío</ref> ===Health=== {{Main|Health in Ecuador}} [[File:HOSPITAL DE CALDERÓN 4 MAV (32808969935).jpg|thumb|Hospital Docente de Calderón, in Quito]] The current structure of the Ecuadorian public health care system dates back to 1967.<ref>Larrea, Julio. "25 Años de Vida Institucional", Imprenta del Ministerio de Salud Publica, Quito 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:historia-del-ministerio-de-salud-publica&catid=68:historia&Itemid=61 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317184901/http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:historia-del-ministerio-de-salud-publica&catid=68:historia&Itemid=61 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 March 2012 |title=History of the Ministry of Public Health |publisher=Msp.gob.ec |access-date=24 February 2012 }}</ref> The Ministry of the Public Health (Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador) is the responsible entity of the regulation and creation of the public health policies and health care plans. The Minister of Public Health is appointed directly by the President of the Republic. The philosophy of the Ministry of Public Health is the social support and service to the most vulnerable population,<ref name=health>{{cite web |url=http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=55 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005042709/http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=55 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 October 2010 |title=Program of the Ministry of Public Health – Ecuador |publisher=Msp.gob.ec |access-date=24 February 2012 }}</ref> and its main plan of action lies around communitarian health and preventive medicine.<ref name=health/> Many American medical groups often conduct [[medical mission]]s away from the big cities to provide medical health to poor communities. The public healthcare system allows patients to be treated without an appointment in public general hospitals by general practitioners and specialists in the outpatient clinic (''Consulta Externa'') at no cost. This is done in the four basic specialties of pediatric, gynecology, clinic medicine, and surgery.<ref name=healths>{{cite web |url=http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63:mi-hospital-modelo&catid=41 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206032316/http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63:mi-hospital-modelo&catid=41 |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2010 |title=Public health care network – Ministry of Public Health – Ecuador |publisher=Msp.gob.ec |access-date=24 February 2012 }}</ref> There are also public hospitals specialized to treat chronic diseases, target a particular group of the population, or provide better treatment in some medical specialties. Although well-equipped general hospitals are found in the major cities or capitals of provinces, there are basic hospitals in the smaller towns and [[canton (country subdivision)|canton]] cities for family care consultation and treatments in pediatrics, gynecology, clinical medicine, and surgery.<ref name=healths/> Community health care centers (Centros de Salud) are found inside metropolitan areas of cities and in rural areas. These are day hospitals that provide treatment to patients whose hospitalization is under 24 hours.<ref name=healths/> The doctors assigned to rural communities, where the Amerindian population can be substantial, have small clinics under their responsibility for the treatment of patients in the same fashion as the day hospitals in the major cities. The treatment in this case respects the culture of the community.<ref name=healths/> The public healthcare system should not be confused with the Ecuadorian Social Security healthcare service, which is dedicated to individuals with formal employment and who are affiliated obligatorily through their employers. Citizens with no formal employment may still contribute to the social security system voluntarily and have access to the medical services rendered by the social security system. The Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (IESS) has several major hospitals and medical sub-centers under its administration across the nation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iess.gob.ec/site.php?content=1669-servicios |title=Medical Services – Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social |publisher=Iess.gob.ec |date=19 February 2010 |access-date=24 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221154355/http://www.iess.gob.ec/site.php?content=1669-servicios |archive-date=21 February 2012 }}</ref> Ecuador currently ranks 20, in most [[World Health Organization ranking of health systems|efficient health care countries]], compared to 111 back in the year 2000.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/best-and-worst/most-efficient-health-care-countries | work=Bloomberg | title=Most Efficient Health Care: Countries – Bloomberg Best (and Worst) | access-date=6 March 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906224923/http://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/best-and-worst/most-efficient-health-care-countries | archive-date=6 September 2014 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Ecuadorians have a life expectancy of 77.1 years.<ref>{{cite web|publisher = CIA|work = The World Factbook|title = Country Comparison: Life Expectancy at Birth|url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/fields/355rank.html|access-date = 18 July 2019|archive-date = 16 June 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190616191031/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/fields/355rank.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> The infant mortality rate is 13 per 1,000 live births,<ref name=free/> a major improvement from approximately 76 in the early 1980s and 140 in 1950.<ref name=cs>{{csref |country=ecuador |section=Labor |author=Rex A. Hudson }}</ref> 23% of children under five are chronically malnourished.<ref name=free/> Population in some rural areas have no access to potable water, and its supply is provided by mean of water tankers. There are 686 malaria cases per 100,000 people.<ref name="fightingdiseases.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.fightingdiseases.org/main/country.php?country_id=53 |title=Ecuador |website=Campaign for Fighting Diseases |access-date=4 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026002741/http://www.fightingdiseases.org/main/country.php?country_id=53 |archive-date=26 October 2007 }}</ref> Basic health care, including doctor's visits, basic surgeries, and basic medications, has been provided free since 2008.<ref name=free>{{cite web|author=Olsont, David|url=http://www.pe.com/reports/2009/ecuador/stories/PE_News_Local_S_ecuador_system20.15cd6e8.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225065825/http://www.pe.com/reports/2009/ecuador/stories/PE_News_Local_S_ecuador_system20.15cd6e8.html |archive-date=25 December 2010 |title=Still in its infancy, Ecuador's free health care has growing pains | Special Reports |publisher=PE.com |date=19 September 2009 |access-date=26 June 2010}}</ref> However, some public hospitals are in poor condition and often lack necessary supplies to attend the high demand of patients. Private hospitals and clinics are well equipped but still expensive for the majority of the population. Between 2008 and 2016, new public hospitals have been built. In 2008, the government introduced universal and compulsory social security coverage. In 2015, corruption remains a problem. Overbilling is recorded in 20% of public establishments and in 80% of private establishments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.medelu.org/La-dificil-construccion-de-la |date=2018 |title=La difícil construcción de la sanidad pública en Ecuador|last=Ramirez|first=Loïc|website=Mémoire des luttes|language=fr|access-date=28 June 2019|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515225613/http://www.medelu.org/La-dificil-construccion-de-la|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Education=== {{main|Education in Ecuador}} [[File:2022-05-20 Universidad de las Artes Guayaquil 01.jpg|thumb|University of the Arts in [[Guayaquil]]]] The Ecuadorian Constitution requires that all children attend school until they achieve a "basic level of education", which is estimated at nine school years.<ref name=ilab>{{cite web|title=Ecuador|url=http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/ecuador.htm|work=The Department of Labor's 2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor|publisher=[[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]], U.S. Department of Labor |year=2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503214040/http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/ecuador.htm|archive-date=3 May 2010}}</ref> In 1996, the net primary enrollment rate was 96.9%, and 71.8% of children stayed in school until the fifth grade / age 10.<ref name=ilab/> The cost of primary and secondary education is borne by the government, but families often face significant additional expenses such as fees and transportation costs.<ref name=ilab/> Provision of public schools falls far below the levels needed, and class sizes are often very large, and families of limited means often find it necessary to pay for education.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The debate over private and public provisions of education {{!}} Capacity4dev|url=https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/articles/debate-over-private-and-public-provisions-education|access-date=23 September 2020|website=europa.eu|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215141622/https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/articles/debate-over-private-and-public-provisions-education|url-status=live}}</ref> In rural areas, only 10% of the children go on to high school.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ricardo|first=Gomez|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJkjMBI7BKYC&q=ecuador+In+rural+areas%2C+only+10%25+of+the+children+go+on+to+high+school.%5B&pg=PA202|title=Libraries, Telecentres, Cybercafes and Public Access to ICT: International Comparisons: International Comparisons|date=31 July 2011|publisher=IGI Global|isbn=978-1-60960-772-2|language=en|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=29 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129021941/https://books.google.com/books?id=bJkjMBI7BKYC&q=ecuador+In+rural+areas%2C+only+10%25+of+the+children+go+on+to+high+school.%5B&pg=PA202#v=snippet&q=ecuador%20In%20rural%20areas%2C%20only%2010%25%20of%20the%20children%20go%20on%20to%20high%20school.%5B&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> In a 2015 report, The Ministry of Education states that in 2014 the mean number of school years completed in rural areas is 7.39 as compared to 10.86 in urban areas.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador |title=Estadística Educativa, Reporte de indicadores |date=March 2015 |volume=1 |issue=1 |url=https://educacion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2017/06/PUB_EstadisticaEducativaVol1_mar2015.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720135411/https://educacion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2017/06/PUB_EstadisticaEducativaVol1_mar2015.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 July 2020 |access-date=23 October 2021 }}</ref> === Largest cities === {{See also|List of cities in Ecuador}} The five largest cities in the country are [[Quito]] (2.78 million inhabitants), [[Guayaquil]] (2.72 million inhabitants), [[Cuenca, Ecuador|Cuenca]] (636,996 inhabitants), [[Santo Domingo (Ecuador)|Santo Domingo]] (458,580 inhabitants), and [[Ambato, Ecuador|Ambato]] (387,309 inhabitants). The most populated metropolitan areas of the country are those of Guayaquil, Quito, Cuenca, Manabí Centro ([[Portoviejo]]-[[Manta, Ecuador|Manta]]) and Ambato.<ref name="Proyecciones Poblacionales">{{cite web|url=https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/proyecciones-poblacionales/|title=Proyecciones Poblacionales|access-date=25 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018060046/https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/proyecciones-poblacionales/|archive-date=18 October 2013|publisher=National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC)|url-status=dead|version=(in Spanish)}}</ref> {{Largest cities | country = Ecuador | stat_ref = According to the 2020 population projections<ref name="auto"/> | div_name = Province | city_1 = Quito | div_1 = Pichincha Province{{!}}Pichincha | pop_1 = 2,781,641|img_1 = QUITO 4 (32410475340).jpg | city_2 = Guayaquil | div_2 = Guayas Province{{!}}Guayas | pop_2 = 2,723,665|img_2 = Guayaquilaéreo.jpg | city_3 = Cuenca, Ecuador{{!}}Cuenca | div_3 = Azuay Province{{!}}Azuay | pop_3 = 636,996|img_3 = Cuenca (Ecuador) from Turi.jpg | city_4 = Santo Domingo, Ecuador{{!}}Santo Domingo | div_4 = Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province{{!}}Santo Domingo | pop_4 = 458,580|img_4 = Santo Domingo, Ecuador.jpg | city_5 = Ambato, Ecuador{{!}}Ambato | div_5 = Tungurahua Province{{!}}Tungurahua | pop_5 = 387,309 | city_6 = Portoviejo | div_6 = Manabí Province{{!}}Manabí | pop_6 = 321,800 | city_7 = Durán, Ecuador{{!}}Durán | div_7 = Guayas Province{{!}}Guayas | pop_7 = 315,724 | city_8 = Machala{{!}}Machala | div_8 = El Oro Province{{!}}El Oro | pop_8 = 289,141 | city_9 = Loja, Ecuador{{!}}Loja | div_9 = Loja Province{{!}}Loja | pop_9 = 274,112 | city_10 = Manta, Ecuador{{!}}Manta | div_10 = Manabí Province{{!}}Manabí | pop_10 = 264,281 | city_11 = Riobamba | div_11 = Chimborazo Province{{!}}Chimborazo | pop_11 = 264,048 | city_12 = Ibarra, Ecuador{{!}}Ibarra | div_12 = Imbabura Province{{!}}Imbabura | pop_12 = 221,149 | city_13 = Esmeraldas, Ecuador{{!}}Esmeraldas | div_13 = Esmeraldas Province{{!}}Esmeraldas | pop_13 = 218,727 | city_14 = Quevedo, Ecuador{{!}}Quevedo | div_14 = Los Ríos Province{{!}}Los Ríos | pop_14 = 213,842 | city_15 = Latacunga | div_15 = Cotopaxi Province{{!}}Cotopaxi | pop_15 = 205,624 | city_16 = Milagro, Ecuador{{!}}Milagro | div_16 = Guayas Province{{!}}Guayas | pop_16 = 199,835 | city_17 = Santa Elena, Ecuador{{!}}Santa Elena | div_17 = Santa Elena Province{{!}}Santa Elena | pop_17 = 188,821 | city_18 = Babahoyo | div_18 = Los Ríos Province{{!}}Los Ríos | pop_18 = 175,281 | city_19 = Daule, Guayas{{!}}Daule | div_19 = Guayas Province{{!}}Guayas | pop_19 = 173,684 | city_20 = Quinindé | div_20 = Esmeraldas Province{{!}}Esmeraldas | pop_20 = 145,879 }} ===Immigration and emigration=== {{See also|Emigration from Ecuador}} Ecuador houses a small East Asian community mainly consisting of those of [[Japanese people|Japanese]] and [[Chinese people|Chinese]] descent, whose ancestors arrived as miners, farmhands and fishermen in the late 19th century.<ref name=CIA/> In the early years of World War II, Ecuador still admitted a certain number of immigrants, and in 1939, when several South American countries refused to accept 165 [[Jewish]] refugees from Germany aboard the ship ''Koenigstein'', Ecuador granted them entry permits.<ref> {{cite web | url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Ecuador.html | title=Ecuador: Virtual Jewish History Tour | year=2004 | publisher=American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise | access-date=23 June 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928181112/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Ecuador.html | archive-date=28 September 2013 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }} </ref> Migration from [[Lebanon]] to Ecuador started as early as 1875.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eluniverso.com/2006/07/30/0001/14/A8D3581669B84C3188E1877EE5560D5E.html |website=La libanesa, una colonia con historia desde 1875 |publisher=El Universo |title=La libanesa, una colonia con historia desde 1875 |date=30 July 2006 |access-date=25 October 2022 |archive-date=25 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025170356/https://www.eluniverso.com/2006/07/30/0001/14/A8D3581669B84C3188E1877EE5560D5E.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Early impoverished migrants tended to work as independent sidewalk vendors, rather than as wage workers in agriculture or others' businesses.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Los Sirio-Libaneses En El Espacio Social Ecuatoriano |url=http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/jsa_0037-9174_1997_num_83_1_1677 |journal=Journal de la Société des Américanistes |year=1997 |volume=83 |issue=1 |pages=201–227 |doi=10.3406/jsa.1997.1677 |last1=Almeida |first1=Mónica |access-date=25 October 2022 |archive-date=30 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630032842/http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/jsa_0037-9174_1997_num_83_1_1677 |url-status=live }}</ref> Though they emigrated to escape Ottoman Turkish religious oppression, they were called "Turks" by Ecuadorians because they carried Ottoman passports.<ref>{{cite web |title=El Guayaquil que acogió a los migrantes extranjeros |date=16 October 2020 |url=https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/guayaquil-bicentenario/1/guayaquil-migrantes-extranjeros |publisher=El Telegrafo |access-date=26 October 2022 |archive-date=6 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306025858/https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/guayaquil-bicentenario/1/guayaquil-migrantes-extranjeros |url-status=live }}</ref> There were further waves of immigration in the first half of the 20th century; by 1930, there were 577 Lebanese immigrants and 489 of their descendants residing in the country. A 1986 estimate from Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated 100,000 Lebanese descendants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theidentitychef.com/2009/09/06/lebanese-diaspora-worldwide-geographical-distribution/|title=Archived copy|access-date=26 October 2022|archive-date=24 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024042758/http://theidentitychef.com/2009/09/06/lebanese-diaspora-worldwide-geographical-distribution|url-status=dead}}</ref> They reside mostly in Quito and Guayaquil. They are predominantly [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]]. In the early 1900s there was immigration from [[Italians]], [[Germans]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[French people|French]], [[Britons]], [[Irish people|Irish]] and [[Greeks]]. The town of [[Ancón, Ecuador|Ancón]] experienced of wave of immigration from the UK starting in 1911, when the Government of Ecuador conceded 98 mines, occupying an area of 38,842 hectares, to the British oil company Anglo Ecuadorian Oilfields. Today, the Anglo American Oilfields or [[Anglo American plc]] is the world's largest producer of platinum, with around 40% of world output, as well as being a major producer of diamonds, copper, nickel, iron ore and steelmaking coal. [[Alberto Spencer]] is one famed Briton that hailed from Ancon. The town has now become an attraction due to the austere British homes in "El Barrio Ingles" situated in a contrasting tropical setting.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ventimilla |first1=Marcello |title=Ancón, la pequeña Inglaterra olvidada |url=https://anconlapequenainglaterraolvidada.home.blog/2019/08/07/ancon-la-pequena-inglaterra-olvidada/ |website=anconlapequenainglaterraolvidada |date=7 August 2019 |access-date=12 October 2022 |archive-date=12 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012072157/https://anconlapequenainglaterraolvidada.home.blog/2019/08/07/ancon-la-pequena-inglaterra-olvidada/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B034x9IAEF4/?igshid=1eljg5ds5kiuh|title=Marcelo Veintimilla Macas on Instagram: "A 2 horas de Guayaquil se encuentra #Ancón, la tierra de Alberto Spencer. Entre 1911 y 1976 una compañía Inglesa se instaló en el lugar, dejando un legado de su cultura. Plasmado sobre todo en las casas del barrio ingles, que se ubica cerca de un acantilado."|access-date=12 October 2022|archive-date=12 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012073120/https://www.instagram.com/p/B034x9IAEF4/?igshid=1eljg5ds5kiuh|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1950s the [[Italians]] were the third largest national group in terms of numbers of immigrants. It can be noted that, after World War I, people from [[Liguria]], still constituted the majority of the flow, even though they then represented only one third of the total number of immigrants in Ecuador. This situation came from the improvement of the economic situation in Liguria. The classic paradigm of the Italian immigrant today was not that of the small trader from Liguria as it had been before; those who emigrated to Ecuador were professionals and technicians, employees and religious people from South-Central Italy. It must be remembered that many immigrants, a remarkable number of Italians among them, moved to the Ecuadorian port from Peru to escape from the Peruvian war with Chile. The Italian government came to be more interested in the emigration phenomenon in Ecuador because of the necessity of finding an outlet for the large number of immigrants who traditionally went to the [[United States]] but who could no longer enter this country because of the [[Emergency Quota Act]] of 1921 that restricted immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans as well as other "undesirables". Most of these communities and their descendants are located in the [[Guayas Province|Guayas]] region of the country.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://journals.openedition.org/diasporas/1818 | title=Italians in the Americas | journal=Diasporas. Circulations, Migrations, Histoire | year=2011 | issue=19 | pages=72–81 | publisher=openjournal.com | doi=10.4000/diasporas.1818 | access-date=7 September 2020 | df=mdy-all | last1=Pagnotta | first1=Chiara | doi-access=free | archive-date=28 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128132952/https://journals.openedition.org/diasporas/1818 | url-status=live }}</ref> Throughout the 20th century, immigration also came from other [[Latin American]] countries due to civil wars, economic crises, and dictatorships. The most notable are those coming from [[Argentina]], [[Chile]], and [[Uruguay]]. Starting from 2002, there has been an exponential and significant growth in [[Colombians|Colombian]] and [[Venezuelan]] refugees. Colombians have historically found refuge in its neighboring country during times of civil unrest. Recently, Venezuelans have become a notable presence in Ecuadorian cities as many flee the economic and political [[Venezuelan crisis]]. Authorities argue that an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 Colombians live in Ecuador, porous borders and lack of formal registration disallow concrete numbers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Colombianos en Ecuador vuelven a casa tras terremoto "para empezar de nuevo |url=https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2016/04/24/nota/5544354/colombianos-ecuador-vuelven-casa-tras-terremoto-empezar-nuevo/ |website=El Universo |date=25 April 2016 |access-date=11 November 2022 |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111005659/https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2016/04/24/nota/5544354/colombianos-ecuador-vuelven-casa-tras-terremoto-empezar-nuevo/ |url-status=live }}</ref> From 2007, the Ecuador government created multiple initiatives to attract Ecuadorians abroad mostly from the [[United States]], [[Italy]], and [[Spain]] to return after many left during the 90s economic crisis or [[La Decada Perdida]]. These policies resulted in the rapid and significant rise in the flow of returning nationals, most notably during the 2008 economic crisis that affected Europe and North America.<ref>{{cite news |title=Más del 70% de los ecuatorianos que viven en España quieren volver a su país |url=https://elpais.com/politica/2012/10/24/actualidad/1351079750_081442.html |website=El Pais |date=24 October 2012 |last1=Guede |first1=Araceli |access-date=11 November 2022 |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111005648/https://elpais.com/politica/2012/10/24/actualidad/1351079750_081442.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Entre lágrimas, 14 ecuatorianos dejan España por la crisis y vuelven a su país |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/hoy/ct-hoy-8112614-entre-lagrimas-14-ecuatorianos-dejan-espana-por-la-crisis-y-vuelven-a-su-pais-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |date=4 July 2012 |access-date=11 November 2022 |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111005644/https://www.chicagotribune.com/hoy/ct-hoy-8112614-entre-lagrimas-14-ecuatorianos-dejan-espana-por-la-crisis-y-vuelven-a-su-pais-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In recent years,{{when|date=July 2023}} Ecuador has grown in popularity among North American expatriates.<ref> {{cite web | url=https://vivatropical.com/ecuador/cuenca | title=Cuenca Ecuador – How The American Dream Moved South | year=2013 | publisher=vivatropical.com | access-date=13 January 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210110956/http://vivatropical.com/ecuador/cuenca/ | archive-date=10 February 2015 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }} </ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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