# Colombia and Ecuador compared

Colombia and Ecuador side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 5 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/col-vs-ecu
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Colombia: 20 July 1810 — The war of independence begins at Bogotá
- Ecuador: 1830 — Ecuador withdraws from the Colombian federation as a separate state

## Economy

| Metric | Colombia | Observed | Ecuador | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $419 B | 2024 | $125 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $7,919 | 2024 | $6,875 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 1.6% | 2024 | -2.0% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 6.6% | 2024 | 1.5% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 37.0% | 2024 | 57.2% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Colombia | Observed | Ecuador | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 53 m | 2024 | 18 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 77.9 yrs | 2024 | 77.6 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 78.5% | 2024 | 63.2% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.6 | 2024 | 1.8 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Colombia | Observed | Ecuador | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 57.5 | 2024 | 55.0 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 49.3 | 2024 | 53.6 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 49.2 | 2024 | 47.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 55.1 | 2024 | 44.7 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 47.3 | 2024 | 40.4 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 41.9 | 2024 | 32.2 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Colombia | Observed | Ecuador | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 8.1% | 2024 | 7.6% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 2.54 | 2023 | 2.31 | 2020 |
| Under-5 mortality | 11.5 | 2024 | 12.9 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 93.0% | 2024 | 74.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 74.3% | 2024 | 69.9% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Colombia | Observed | Ecuador | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 95.3% | 2024 | 93.5% | 2024 |
| Education spending | 5.3% | 2020 | 3.7% | 2024 |
| Primary enrolment | 104.8% | 2022 | 97.2% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 101.6% | 2022 | 92.8% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 59.3% | 2022 | 67.9% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | Colombia | Observed | Ecuador | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.3% | 2020 | 0.4% | 2014 |
| Researchers (per million) | 90 | 2017 | 400 | 2014 |
| Internet users | 79.3% | 2024 | 77.2% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 174 | 2024 | 102 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 9.0% | 2024 | 10.0% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Colombia | Observed | Ecuador | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 1,109,500 km² | 2023 | 248,360 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 52.8% | 2023 | 49.5% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 36.5% | 2023 | 21.5% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 1.8 | 2024 | 2.6 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 29.7% | 2021 | 18.9% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Colombia | Observed | Ecuador | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 5.3% | 2021 | 6.7% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 3.4% | 2021 | 6.4% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.9% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 98.7% | 2023 | 98.7% | 2023 |

## Military

| Metric | Colombia | Observed | Ecuador | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 3.4% | 2024 | 2.2% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $15 B | 2024 | $2.7 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 428,000 | 2020 | 42,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/COL.md and https://terralore.co/country/ECU.md.

## Entangled histories (5 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1717, restored 1739: **Viceroyalty of New Granada** — Spain governs the territory through the Viceroyalty of New Granada, capital Bogota, encompassing modern Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, and Venezuela. (from the Colombia chronicle; sources: Viceroyalty of New Granada)
- 1821 CE: **Congress of Cucuta** — The republic of Gran Colombia is formally organised, uniting New Granada, Venezuela, and Ecuador under Bolivar's presidency. (from the Colombia chronicle; sources: Gran Colombia)
- 1822-1830: **Union with Gran Colombia** — Liberated Quito joins Simon Bolivar's Republic of Gran Colombia alongside Venezuela and New Granada until the union breaks apart. (from the Ecuador chronicle; sources: Gran Colombia; Simon Bolivar)
- 1830 CE: **Breakup of Gran Colombia** — Venezuela and Ecuador secede and Bolivar dies near Santa Marta; the union dissolves, leaving New Granada as a separate state. (from the Colombia chronicle; sources: Gran Colombia; Simon Bolivar)
- 13 May 1830: **Republic of Ecuador founded** — An assembly in Quito separates the southern district from Gran Colombia and founds the Republic of Ecuador, with Juan Jose Flores as first president. (from the Ecuador chronicle; sources: History of Ecuador; Gran Colombia)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/COL/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/ECU/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Colombia and Ecuador compared", terralore.co/compare/col-vs-ecu, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.