Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Ecuador
Ecuador: Food imports (% of merchandise imports) was 12.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Food imports in Ecuador, 1962–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for food imports in Ecuador is 12.1%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 38.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Ecuador peaked at 13.3% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 1986.
That places Ecuador 133rd out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 13.2% | — |
| 1963 | 9.8% | -25.8% |
| 1964 | 12.2% | +24.3% |
| 1965 | 10.4% | -14.9% |
| 1966 | 13.3% | +28.4% |
| 1967 | 11.0% | -17.1% |
| 1968 | 9.3% | -15.8% |
| 1969 | 8.1% | -12.6% |
| 1970 | 7.9% | -2.2% |
| 1971 | 6.8% | -14.5% |
| 1972 | 9.3% | +37.5% |
| 1973 | 9.7% | +3.9% |
| 1974 | 8.8% | -9.3% |
| 1975 | 8.4% | -4.4% |
| 1976 | 8.3% | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 7.2% | -13.1% |
| 1978 | 7.8% | +8.0% |
| 1980 | 8.4% | +7.4% |
| 1981 | 6.4% | -23.3% |
| 1982 | 5.1% | -21.1% |
| 1983 | 10.5% | +105.8% |
| 1984 | 11.5% | +10.0% |
| 1985 | 8.2% | -29.1% |
| 1986 | 4.8% | -41.3% |
| 1987 | 6.5% | +35.1% |
| 1990 | 8.7% | +33.9% |
| 1991 | 7.7% | -11.4% |
| 1992 | 5.1% | -33.6% |
| 1993 | 5.1% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 6.4% | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 7.6% | +18.9% |
| 1996 | 9.9% | +31.2% |
| 1997 | 9.4% | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 12.0% | +27.8% |
| 1999 | 10.7% | -10.5% |
| 2000 | 9.0% | -16.2% |
| 2001 | 8.1% | -10.5% |
| 2002 | 8.7% | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 9.0% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 8.0% | -10.3% |
| 2006 | 7.1% | -12.1% |
| 2007 | 8.4% | +19.5% |
| 2008 | 9.0% | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 9.5% | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 8.3% | -11.9% |
| 2011 | 8.6% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 7.8% | -9.7% |
| 2013 | 7.3% | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 7.7% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 8.8% | +13.5% |
| 2016 | 10.6% | +20.6% |
| 2017 | 10.2% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 10.0% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 10.6% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 13.2% | +25.1% |
| 2021 | 12.5% | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 12.6% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 13.0% | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 12.2% | -6.1% |
| 2025 | 12.1% | -0.7% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 12.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.4%, 79% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 12.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 19.0%, 64% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Ecuador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +105.8% | 5.1% | 10.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.9% | 8.1% | 13.3% | 8 |
| 1970s | 8.2% | 6.8% | 9.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 7.7% | 4.8% | 11.5% | 8 |
| 1990s | 8.3% | 5.1% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.6% | 7.1% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.0% | 7.3% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.6% | 12.1% | 13.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
- 130 Azerbaijan 12.4% compare
- 131 Saudi Arabia 12.3% compare
- 132 Nigeria 12.3% compare
- 134 North Macedonia 12.0% compare
- 135 Italy 12.0% compare
- 136 Peru 11.9% compare
More private sector data for Ecuador
- Merchandise trade 53.6% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 61.5% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 32.65 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 6.27 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 58.7% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 4.6% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 37.15 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 4.08 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,031 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2851 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Ecuador?
- Food imports in Ecuador was 12.1% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 1966.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 1986.
- How does Ecuador rank for food imports?
- Ecuador ranks 133rd out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ecuador data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.