What Is Ecuador's Population and Ethnic Makeup?
Ecuador’s population is just over 15 million. 67 percent of Ecuadorians live in cities. It is a young population, with a median age of 26. Since 2010, the population has grown by 1.6 percent each year.
71.9 percent of Ecuadorians are mestizo, an ethnicity made up of both Spanish and indigenous heritage. Afro-Ecuadorians make up 7.2 percent of the population. Indigenous people comprise another 7 percent, with heavy concentrations around Otavalo and the Amazon Basin. 6.1 percent of the population is white.
In the coastal Los Ríos Province, a group of subsistence farmers have opted to identify as Montubio. They base their identity on their traditional, agricultural lifestyle. Ethnically they are still considered mestizo. Montubian people make up around 7.4 percent of Ecuador’s population.
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Ecuador City Life
There are so many cities in Ecuador to visit. However will you choose? It starts with understanding the finer points of Ecuador's cities. Ecuador is a small country, but its cities seem worlds apart. You will quickly find that each city has a distinct character — a personality larger than the sum of its attractions, and these attractions are ample and diverse! If you dream of dancing 'til dawn, then you'll want to visit Guayaquil for the discos and nightlife. Fancy yourself a design or history buff? You'll appreciate Quito for its colonial history and architecture. Speaking of architecture, you simply must leave time on your itinerary for Cuenca, because this is where you will see Ecuador’s most impressive cathedrals. Wherever you visit, there will be plenty to see and do; most importantly, Ecuador's cities are full of locals waiting to teach you about their unique and beautiful country, and that's one experience you definitely don't want to miss.
Amazon
Descending from the cool, high Sierra plains into the eastern side of Ecuador brings a dramatic change in surroundings—dense jungles and stifling humidity. A lesser known and remote part of Ecuador, visitors to the Amazon are quickly immersed in ancient rainforests, indigenous cultures and abundant wildlife.
Otavalo
If you arrive on Saturday to Otavalo, you might not even see the town. What you will see however, is one of the biggest open-air markets in the Andes. Crowded streets, lined with vendors selling their brightly woven textiles and colorful crafts, will have you roaming for hours on end looking for the perfect Ecuadorian souvenir.
