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Country analysis

Ecuador

Given its proximity to Venezuela and Colombia Ecuador has become a destination and transit country since 2017 for Venezuelans fleeing the sociopolitical and economic crisis in their countries.

In 2024, around 416,000 Venezuelan migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees were estimated to live in Ecuador, 77% of whom needed humanitarian assistance. Most of them resided in the western departments of Guayas, Manabi, and Pichincha.

Access to regularisation status, documentation, socioeconomic integration, healthcare and WASH services, shelter, and protection are the main needs of Venezuelans in Ecuador. The main obstacles to their regularisation are the lack of documents approved by the migration department, expired passports, and the lack of information on the processes. The lack of a legal permit of stay impedes their access to basic services and the labour market and creates increased protection concerns, including the risk of exploitation and abuse.

The regularisation process for migrants living in Ecuador began on 1 September 2022. The process allows families to access goods and services, such as education and government assistance. Of the nearly half a million Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador, more than 200,000 have either a certificate of immigration or a temporary visa.

(R4V 02/12/2023, BBC 02/09/2022, Infobae 22/11/2022)

Given its proximity to Venezuela and Colombia Ecuador has become a destination and transit country since 2017 for Venezuelans fleeing the sociopolitical and economic crisis in their countries.

In 2024, around 416,000 Venezuelan migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees were estimated to live in Ecuador, 77% of whom needed humanitarian assistance. Most of them resided in the western departments of Guayas, Manabi, and Pichincha.

Access to regularisation status, documentation, socioeconomic integration, healthcare and WASH services, shelter, and protection are the main needs of Venezuelans in Ecuador. The main obstacles to their regularisation are the lack of documents approved by the migration department, expired passports, and the lack of information on the processes. The lack of a legal permit of stay impedes their access to basic services and the labour market and creates increased protection concerns, including the risk of exploitation and abuse.

The regularisation process for migrants living in Ecuador began on 1 September 2022. The process allows families to access goods and services, such as education and government assistance. Of the nearly half a million Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador, more than 200,000 have either a certificate of immigration or a temporary visa.

(R4V 02/12/2023, BBC 02/09/2022, Infobae 22/11/2022)

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Latest updates on country situation

04 March 2025

Since the start of February 2025, Ecuador has been experiencing severe flooding and landslides caused by persistent heavy rains. By 2 March, severe weather and flooding resulted in 11 deaths and nine injuries. Around 66,000 people have been affected, and over 2,000 have been displaced in 23 of the country’s 24 provinces. El Salvador, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, and Santo Domingo are among the hardest-hit provinces. Over 17,000 homes have been damaged and 40 completely destroyed. Healthcare infrastructure has also been damaged, further straining the capacity of health facilities. As a result, the National Secretariat for Risk Management declared a regional emergency on 25 February. In provinces such as El Oro and Esmeraldas, which have the highest protection risks, the floods compound the impact of criminal gang violence. The most urgent needs include WASH, shelter, healthcare, food, and protection. (ECHO accessed 04/03/2025, 3IS 18/12/2024, IFRC 01/03/2025)

04 April 2024

Heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides, worsened by El Niño seasonal events, have been causing widespread destruction in Ecuador since the beginning of 2024. As at 3 April, the impact has killed eight people, injured 13, and affected 170,000, primarily in the western provinces of Manabí and Guayas. It had also affected or destroyed more than 38,000 homes, 400 educational institutions, and 29 healthcare facilities nationwide. As a result, people require access to shelter, education, and healthcare services. (ERCC accessed 09/04/2024, SGR 03/04/2024, Ecuador Government accessed 09/04/2024)

current crises
in Ecuador

These crises have been identified through the INFORM Severity Index, a tool for measuring and comparing the severity of humanitarian crises globally.

Read more about the Index

ECU001 - Multiple crises

Last updated 11/02/2025

Drivers

Violence
Displacement

Crisis level

Country

Severity level

3.5 High

Access constraints

2.0

ECU003 - Criminal violence

Last updated 11/02/2025

Drivers

Violence
Displacement

Crisis level

Country

Severity level

3.5 High

Access constraints

2.0

ECU002 - Venezuelan refugees

Last updated 11/02/2025

Drivers

Displacement

Crisis level

Country

Severity level

2.7 Medium

Access constraints

2.0

REG002 - Venezuela Regional Crisis

Last updated 18/06/2024

Drivers


Crisis level

Regional

Severity level

3.7 High

Access constraints

3.0

Analysis products
on Ecuador

Ecuador: The escalation and impact of violence on children

11 December 2024

Ecuador: The escalation and impact of violence on children

DOCUMENT / PDF / 741 KB

This report examines the distinct impacts of escalating violence on children across Ecuador, with a particular focus on protection, education, and health in the provinces of Esmeraldas and Guayas. 

EducationHealthProtection

Attached resources

DocumentREAD THE REPORT IN SPANISH
Ecuador: increased violence amid internal armed conflict leads to protection concerns

21 March 2024

Ecuador: increased violence amid internal armed conflict leads to protection concerns

DOCUMENT / PDF / 1 MB

This is an anticipatory analysis of the potential humanitarian consequences of recent escalations in criminal gang-related violence in Ecuador following the state of exception and internal armed conflict decreed and declared by President Daniel Noboa in early 2024.
 

Conflict and violence

Attached resources

DocumentREAD IN SPANISH
Colombia-Ecuador: Crisis to watch at the border

22 December 2023

Colombia-Ecuador: Crisis to watch at the border

DOCUMENT / PDF / 2 MB

This report provides an overview of two key humanitarian crises in the Colombia-Ecuador border area that are expected to persist in the next 6–12 months. Specifically, the report presents an overview and an outlook of the humanitarian impact of armed violence and migration flows on the civilian population in the region.

Attached resources

DocumentREAD THE REPORT IN SPANISH
Ecuador: migration of Venezuelan refugees and migrants

19 September 2023

Ecuador: migration of Venezuelan refugees and migrants

DOCUMENT / PDF / 234 KB

Since 2015, Ecuador has been serving as a transit and destination country for Venezuelan refugees and migrants. As at July 2023, there were at least 502,200 Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Ecuador. Around 70% of this population is concentrated in the western provinces of Guayas, Manabí, and Pichincha. Children and adolescents comprise an estimated 43% of the refugee and migrant communities in the country.

Anticipatory analysisMixed migration
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