Colombia vs Ecuador
Colombia vs Ecuador: Adult literacy
Adult literacy in 2024: 95.3% in Colombia and 93.5% in Ecuador, by UNESCO estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Colombia, by 1.9 percentage points, or 1.02 times that in Ecuador.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Colombia has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Ecuador.
- The world as a whole: 87.7% in 2024.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Colombia | Ecuador | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 95.3 | 93.5 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | 95.5 | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | 95.3 | 96.3 | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 95.7 | 94.5 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 95.6 | 93.6 | 87 |
| 2019 | 95.3 | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 95.1 | – | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 94.9 | 92.8 | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 94.7 | 94.4 | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 94.3 | 94.5 | 86 |
| 2014 | 94.2 | 94.2 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | 93.3 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | 92.1 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 93.6 | 91.6 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 93.4 | 91.9 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | 93.2 | 92.3 | 83.8 |
| 2008 | 93.4 | 92.4 | 83.5 |
| 2007 | 92.7 | 92.1 | 83.1 |
| 2006 | 92.3 | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | 92.9 | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | 92.8 | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | 91 | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | 91.2 | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | 91.1 | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | 88.3 | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | 83.6 | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Colombia vs Ecuador
Health
- Life expectancyColombia: 77.7 years in 2023Ecuador: 77.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityColombia: 1.2 per 100 live births in 2024Ecuador: 1.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityColombia: 9.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023Ecuador: 9.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterColombia: 73.9% in 2022Ecuador: 67.1% in 2022
- DepressionColombia: 2.2% in 2017Ecuador: 2.98% in 2017
- Suicide rateColombia: 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2017Ecuador: 9.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationColombia: 52.3 million people in 2023Ecuador: 18 million people in 2023
- Population growthColombia: 1.1% a year in 2023Ecuador: 0.87% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateColombia: 1.65 births per woman in 2023Ecuador: 1.82 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationColombia: 78.8% in 2025Ecuador: 63.4% in 2025
- Median ageColombia: 31.6 years in 2023Ecuador: 28.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overColombia: 9.4% in 2023Ecuador: 8.1% in 2023
- Net migration rateColombia: 3 per 1,000 people in 2023Ecuador: -1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingColombia: 3.2% of GDP in 2025Ecuador: 2.1% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsColombia: $13.7B in 2025Ecuador: $2.71B in 2025
- Military spending per personColombia: $273 in 2025Ecuador: $150 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingColombia: 9.3% of government spending in 2025Ecuador: 5.7% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelColombia: 428,000 people in 2020Ecuador: 42,000 people in 2020
- National powerColombia: 0.57% of world capability in 2022Ecuador: 0.15% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersColombia: 1.7% of the labour force in 2020Ecuador: 0.54% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsColombia: 22 million TIV in 2025Ecuador: 30 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsColombia: 4 million TIV in 2020Ecuador: 2 million TIV in 2018