Ecuador: Expense (% of GDP)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 1.08 percentage points from 31.52% in 2017. Since 2013 it is down 3.09 percentage points from 33.53% in 2013.

What the numbers say

In 2022, Ecuador's expense (% of GDP) fell 1.49 percentage points on 2021 (from 31.93% to 30.44%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2021), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.86 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.21 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.54 percentage points in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.25 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 30% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2022, Ecuador had the 14th highest value of the 25 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ecuador in the 2022 ranking

• South Africa — 10th of 25: 33.42%
• Sweden — 11th of 25: 32.51%
• Germany — 12th of 25: 31.17%
• Solomon Islands — 14th of 25: 28.89%
• Australia — 15th of 25: 27.58%
• Mozambique — 16th of 25: 26%

What this measures

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 10 values

Expense (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 21.01% (2023)
• Bahamas, The — 20.35% (2023)
• Barbados — 28.77% (2016)
• Belize — 22.34% (2017)
• Brazil — 32.43% (2023)
• Chile — 24.56% (2023)
• Colombia — 33.28% (2023)
• Costa Rica — 28.57% (2023)
• Dominican Republic — 18.07% (2023)
• El Salvador — 27.92% (2023)
• Guatemala — 13.51% (2023)
• Honduras — 24.39% (2020)

More public sector data for Ecuador

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 2.74 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 2.74 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.1% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 30 million (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 42,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.54% (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 5.67% (2025)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 45.72 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 6.66 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Ecuador's expense (% of GDP)?

30.44% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2013?

It is down 3.09 percentage points from 33.53% in 2013. The highest value was 35.05% in 2016 and the lowest 30.44% in 2022.

How does Ecuador rank?

14th highest of 25 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in expense (% of GDP) unusual for Ecuador?

In 2022, Ecuador's expense (% of GDP) fell 1.49 percentage points on 2021 (from 31.93% to 30.44%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2021), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.86 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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