Ecuador vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 3% larger than Ecuador.
EcuadorWestern SaharaEcuador moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.97×
Ecuador is 0.97× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 1.03× the size of Ecuador.
 Ecuador |  Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaWestern Sahara: 1.03× the area | 257,204 km²#76 of 194 | 266,000 km² |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationEcuador: 29.9× the population | 18,289,896#71 of 194 · 2025 | 612,0002021 |
| DensityEcuador: 30.9× the density | 71 / km²#114 of 194 | 2.3 / km² |
| Urban population | 63%#95 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.81 per woman#106 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +0.85%#105 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 14.8 per 1,000#101 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 5.2 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 23.9%#100 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 8.6%#87 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.31 per 1,000#86 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 77.6 years#63 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 10.9 per 1,000 births#106 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 2.31 per 1,000#78 of 178 · 2020 | — |
| University enrolment | 67.9%#49 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.777#87 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $6,890#96 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $130.32B2025 | — |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $16,757#103 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +3.7%#81 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +0.7%#149 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 3.3%#127 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 3.4%#62 of 149 · 2025 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 45.9#12 of 149 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 32.5% of jobs#54 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 16.6% of jobs#122 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 50.9% of jobs#114 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 31.4% of GDP#98 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 2.1% of GDP#56 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 77%#104 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 102 per 100#125 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 50% of land#50 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 2.64 t a year#89 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 18.9%#112 of 190 · 2021 | — |
| Access to electricity | 98.5%#116 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 18.6 µg/m³#93 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 23.8% of land#53 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 3.7% of land#142 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 6.8%#107 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 2,274 mm#23 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | −0.64#151 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | −0.74#136 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Homicide rate | 45.7 per 100,000#4 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Status disputed |
| Government | Presidential republic | —legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 75% of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) |
| Capital | Quito | — |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Official languages | Spanish, Northern Quichua, Shuar | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−5 · UTC−6 to UTC−5, 2 time zones | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +593 | +212 |
| Region | South America | Northern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Ecuador sits at about 1° S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Ecuador bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. Ecuador is 3% smaller than Western Sahara. Ecuador covers 257,204 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Ecuador fit into Western Sahara?
- About 1.0 times: Western Sahara has 1.03× the area of Ecuador.
- Why do Ecuador and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Ecuador is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Ecuador or Western Sahara?
- Ecuador: 18,289,896 people against 612,000. Density: Ecuador 71 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².