Ecuador: Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 6.51 percentage points from 30.12% in 2017. Since 2013 it is up 9.57 percentage points from 27.06% in 2013.

What the numbers say

In 2022, Ecuador's subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) rose 0.08 percentage points on 2021 (from 36.54% to 36.63%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2021), the average change was +1.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.09 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.67 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.24 percentage points in 2018. 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 upward, about 1.17 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 93% 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 16th highest value of the 24 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

• Hungary — 12th of 24: 40.26%
• Ireland — 13th of 24: 38.83%
• Azerbaijan — 14th of 24: 38%
• Lesotho — 16th of 24: 26.85%
• Malawi — 17th of 24: 22.71%
• Ghana — 18th of 24: 17.81%

What this measures

Subsidies are current unrequited payments that government units, including nonresident government units, make to enterprises on the basis of the levels of their production activities or the quantities or values of the goods or services that they produce, sell, export or import. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.

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 median.

All 10 values

Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 68.76% (2023)
• Bahamas, The — 22.5% (2023)
• Barbados — 37.88% (2016)
• Brazil — 62.76% (2023)
• Chile — 50.29% (2023)
• Colombia — 60.77% (2023)
• Costa Rica — 14.92% (2023)
• Dominican Republic — 20.89% (2023)
• El Salvador — 23.34% (2023)
• Guatemala — 34.67% (2023)

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 subsidies and other transfers (% of expense)?

36.63% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2013?

It is up 9.57 percentage points from 27.06% in 2013. The highest value was 36.63% in 2022 and the lowest 26.94% in 2014.

How does Ecuador rank?

16th highest of 24 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) unusual for Ecuador?

In 2022, Ecuador's subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) rose 0.08 percentage points on 2021 (from 36.54% to 36.63%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2021), the average change was +1.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.09 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.TRFT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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